Puerto Rico Supreme Court Rules Governor Was Unlawfully Sworn In
The decision means Puerto Rico will welcome its third governor in five days.
Gabriella N. Baez/Reuters
Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court voted unanimously on Wednesday that last week’s swearing in of Pedro Pierluisi as the island’s new governor was unconstitutional. The Puerto Rico Senate asked the court on Sunday to issue a preliminary injunction against Pierluisi for taking over as governor without being confirmed as secretary of state by the Legislative Assembly. Pierluisi justified his seat of power by citing a statute that said the secretary of state did not require legislative confirmation to be governor. The court later ruled that the statute is unconstitutional. Pierluisi took over after former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló stepped down after public outrage over the leak of controversial online chat messages. The court’s decision means Puerto Rico will now welcome its third governor in five days. Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez—who says she does not want the job—is next in the line of succession, and will begrudgingly take over for Pierluisi.
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