Baltasar Corrada del Río
Encyclopedia
Baltasar Corrada del Río (born April 10, 1935) is a former politician from Puerto Rico
. He held various high political offices in the island, including President of the Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission, Resident Commissioner
(1977–1985), Mayor of the capital city of San Juan
(1985–1989), Puerto Rico's 15th Secretary of State
(1993–1995) and Associate Justice
to the Supreme Court
(1995–2005). He was also the unsuccessful NPP
candidate for Governor
in the elections of 1988.
de Varones in 1952, and both his Bachelor's Degree in Social Studies
in 1956 and his Law Degree from the University of Puerto Rico
in 1959. He was admitted to the Puerto Rico Bar that year and practiced as a private lawyer
from 1969 to 1975.
, Corrada del Río was elected Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
. During his tenure (1977–1985), he advocated for the admission of Puerto Rico
into the American Union|Union]] and helped found the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Corrada served as Mayor
of San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 1985 to 1989.
In the elections of 1988, Corrada made an unsuccessful bid to become Governor of Puerto Rico
. He was defeated by incumbent Governor Rafael Hernández Colón
.
In January 1993, Pedro Rosselló
became Governor
and appointed Corrada Secretary of State
. Later, in 1995, Rosselló
appointed Corrada as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
. He took the oath of office on July 15, 1995, after confirmation by unanimity in the Senate of Puerto Rico
. During his tenure as Associate Justice, Corrada was among the moderate/conservative voices in the Court, usually adhering to strict interpretations of the Constitution while practicing a firm type of judicial restraint
.
The Constitution of Puerto Rico
mandates an obligatory retirement for the Justices of the Supreme Court at age 70. Corrada arrived at this age in April, 2005, and was forced to retire. Prior to his retirement, Corrada publicly asked for an amendment to the Constitution that would repeal the obligatory retirement age for the justices, arguing that by obligating people to retire the constitution is discriminating by reason of age.
The Court seat left vacant by Corrada remained vacant until 2009. Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
did not nominate anyone for the position after then-Senate President Kenneth McClintock
made it clear in his inaugural speech as Senate president in 2005 that only a well-qualified statehooder would muster the votes for Senate confirmation to Court seats previously held by statehooders in order to assure "balance" on the bench.
Corrada currently serves as "of counsel
" to Puerto Rico's largest law firm, McConnell Valdés, of which he had been a partner prior to holding elective office. Since his retirement from the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, he announced that he would abstain from political activity for one year, and on March 14, 2006 announced that within a month would begin attending New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
meetings, as former party president, to provide discrete advice. He also publicly disagreed with then-party president Pedro Rossello
by objecting to the expulsion of then-Senate President Kenneth McClintock
and then-Vice President Orlando Parga
from the party for refusing to turn over the Senate presidency to Rossello. The expulsion was later revoked by the Supreme Court.
, Roman Catholic Bishop
of Tyler, Texas
. He is married to Beatriz Betances and has one daughter, Ana Isabel, three sons: Juan Carlos, Jose and Francisco; as well as several grandchildren: James Gregg, Michael Gregg, Alexis Marie,and Mayra.
Current Puerto Rico Secretary of State McClintock has designated the department's summer internship program as the Baltasar Corrada del Río State Department Internship Program.
On November 24, 2010 a ceremony was held at the Puerto Rico Department of State to announce the publication of Baltasar Corrada Del Río-Sus opiniones 1995-2005 a book containing excerpts from 61 of his Supreme Court opinions edited by Pontifical Catholic University Law School dean Angel González Román
, at which Acting Governor
Kenneth McClintock
and Chief Justice
Federico Hernandez Denton
were the keynote speakers.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. He held various high political offices in the island, including President of the Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission, Resident Commissioner
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years...
(1977–1985), Mayor of the capital city of San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
(1985–1989), Puerto Rico's 15th Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
(1993–1995) and Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is the highest court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority within Puerto Rico to interpret and decide questions of Commonwealth law. As the highest body of the judicial branch of the Puerto Rican government, it is analogous to one of the...
(1995–2005). He was also the unsuccessful NPP
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
candidate for Governor
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
in the elections of 1988.
Education
Corrada del Río obtained his high school diploma from Colegio PonceñoColegio Ponceño
Colegio Ponceño is a Roman Catholic, Piarist, pre K-12 preparatory school located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The institution "has been recognized by the College Board as the best among public and private schools in Puerto Rico during the last 14 years." It has been regarded as the "most prestigious...
de Varones in 1952, and both his Bachelor's Degree in Social Studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
in 1956 and his Law Degree from the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
in 1959. He was admitted to the Puerto Rico Bar that year and practiced as a private lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
from 1969 to 1975.
Political career
In 1976, after initially expressing an interest in becoming Mayor of San JuanSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Corrada del Río was elected Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years...
. During his tenure (1977–1985), he advocated for the admission of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
into the American Union|Union]] and helped found the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Corrada served as Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 1985 to 1989.
In the elections of 1988, Corrada made an unsuccessful bid to become Governor of Puerto Rico
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
. He was defeated by incumbent Governor Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
.
In January 1993, Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
became Governor
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
and appointed Corrada Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
. Later, in 1995, Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
appointed Corrada as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is the highest court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority within Puerto Rico to interpret and decide questions of Commonwealth law. As the highest body of the judicial branch of the Puerto Rican government, it is analogous to one of the...
. He took the oath of office on July 15, 1995, after confirmation by unanimity in the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
. During his tenure as Associate Justice, Corrada was among the moderate/conservative voices in the Court, usually adhering to strict interpretations of the Constitution while practicing a firm type of judicial restraint
Judicial restraint
Judicial restraint is a theory of judicial interpretation that encourages judges to limit the exercise of their own power. It asserts that judges should hesitate to strike down laws unless they are obviously unconstitutional...
.
The Constitution of Puerto Rico
Constitution of Puerto Rico
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is the controlling government document of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government as well as the function of several of its institutions. The document also contains an extensive...
mandates an obligatory retirement for the Justices of the Supreme Court at age 70. Corrada arrived at this age in April, 2005, and was forced to retire. Prior to his retirement, Corrada publicly asked for an amendment to the Constitution that would repeal the obligatory retirement age for the justices, arguing that by obligating people to retire the constitution is discriminating by reason of age.
The Court seat left vacant by Corrada remained vacant until 2009. Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
did not nominate anyone for the position after then-Senate President Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...
made it clear in his inaugural speech as Senate president in 2005 that only a well-qualified statehooder would muster the votes for Senate confirmation to Court seats previously held by statehooders in order to assure "balance" on the bench.
Corrada currently serves as "of counsel
Of counsel
Of counsel is often the title of an attorney who is employed by a law firm or an organization, but is not an associate or a partner. Some firms use titles like "counsel," "special counsel," and "senior counsel" for the same concept...
" to Puerto Rico's largest law firm, McConnell Valdés, of which he had been a partner prior to holding elective office. Since his retirement from the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, he announced that he would abstain from political activity for one year, and on March 14, 2006 announced that within a month would begin attending New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
meetings, as former party president, to provide discrete advice. He also publicly disagreed with then-party president Pedro Rossello
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
by objecting to the expulsion of then-Senate President Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...
and then-Vice President Orlando Parga
Orlando Parga
- Early life:Orlando Parga-Figueroa is a former Senator of Puerto Rico born in Mayaguez and currently resides in Caguas with his wife, Teresita. His father, Orlando Parga Tossas, was a leader of the StatehoodRepublican Party and a right-hand man to SRP leader Miguel A. García Méndez...
from the party for refusing to turn over the Senate presidency to Rossello. The expulsion was later revoked by the Supreme Court.
Personal life
He is the brother of Álvaro Corrada del RioÁlvaro Corrada del Rio
Álvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J. is an Puerto Rican-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the second and current Bishop of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
, Roman Catholic Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
. He is married to Beatriz Betances and has one daughter, Ana Isabel, three sons: Juan Carlos, Jose and Francisco; as well as several grandchildren: James Gregg, Michael Gregg, Alexis Marie,and Mayra.
Honors and recognitions
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) issued a medal honoring Corrada and three other founding members.Current Puerto Rico Secretary of State McClintock has designated the department's summer internship program as the Baltasar Corrada del Río State Department Internship Program.
On November 24, 2010 a ceremony was held at the Puerto Rico Department of State to announce the publication of Baltasar Corrada Del Río-Sus opiniones 1995-2005 a book containing excerpts from 61 of his Supreme Court opinions edited by Pontifical Catholic University Law School dean Angel González Román
Angel González Román
Angel González-Román is a Puerto Rican jurist who serves as Dean of the Pontifical Catholic University School of Law in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Dean González-Román was appointed by Governor Rafael Hernández Colón, first as a Superior Court judge and, subsequently, as an appellate judge...
, at which Acting Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...
and Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
Federico Hernandez Denton
Federico Hernández Denton
Federico Hernández Denton is the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Hernández received his Law Degree from Harvard University in 1969.-Biography:...
were the keynote speakers.