Luis Estrella Martínez
Encyclopedia
Attorney Luis Estrella-Martínez, born on November 17, 1971 in Puerto Rico
, has been nominated by Governor
Luis Fortuño
to become the youngest Associate Justice
of the current Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
. Confirmed by the Senate on May 11, 2011, he took office on May 25, 2011 at the age of 39 and could serve for over 30 years until his mandatory retirement age of 70 on November 17, 2041. He is the sixth Associate Justice appointed by Fortuño during his first two-and-a-half years in office as the United States territory's Chief Executive.
and Governor Fortuño's Chief of Staff
Marcos Rodríguez Ema, he earned his Magna Cum Laude bachelors degree at the University of Puerto Rico
's main campus at Río Piedras
while working part-time as a data entry operator, bussing tables, as well as being active in student government, where he was elected as his faculty's representative to the General Student Council, where he served as Vice President. Estrella also graduated Magna Cum Laude from its law school, where he was an editor of the UPR Law Review, as well as a member of the campus' Academic Senate, representing the law school's students.
and Mildred Pabón
, and as a legislative assistant to then Senator Kenneth McClintock
and Representative Pedro Figueroa, he opened his own law office in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
, where he lives, where he specialized in Administrative Law
for over 10 years.
Senate of Puerto Rico
President
Thomas Rivera Schatz
shepherded his confirmation through a committee hearing and a floor vote on May 11, 2011. The New Progressive Party majority voted in his favor while the Popular Democratic Party senators voted against the nomination.
, May 11, 2011
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...
, has been nominated by Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...
to become the youngest 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...
of the current 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...
. Confirmed by the Senate on May 11, 2011, he took office on May 25, 2011 at the age of 39 and could serve for over 30 years until his mandatory retirement age of 70 on November 17, 2041. He is the sixth Associate Justice appointed by Fortuño during his first two-and-a-half years in office as the United States territory's Chief Executive.
Early years
A high school graduate of Academia Santa Teresita, an alma mater he shares with former Governor Pedro RossellóPedro 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...
and Governor Fortuño's Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
Marcos Rodríguez Ema, he earned his Magna Cum Laude bachelors degree at 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...
's main campus at Río Piedras
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Río Piedras is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1714, it has been the home of the University of Puerto Rico's main campus since 1903, earning the town the popular name of Ciudad Universitaria...
while working part-time as a data entry operator, bussing tables, as well as being active in student government, where he was elected as his faculty's representative to the General Student Council, where he served as Vice President. Estrella also graduated Magna Cum Laude from its law school, where he was an editor of the UPR Law Review, as well as a member of the campus' Academic Senate, representing the law school's students.
Professional life
After a stint as a law clerk to Puerto Rico Court of Appeals Judge Gilberto Gierbolini, where he met two appellate judges with whom he would subsequently serve on the Supreme Court, Justices Liana Fiol MattaLiana Fiol Matta
Liana Fiol Matta is a Puerto Rican jurist currently serving as an Associate Justice in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. She is the second woman in Puerto Rican history to serve in the highest court of the island.-Biography:...
and Mildred Pabón
Mildred Pabón
Mildred Pabón Charneco is a Puerto Rican jurist currently serving as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico after being appointed to the post on February 4, 2009 by Governor Luis Fortuño. She filled the vacancy created by the death of Associate Justice Jaime Fuster in 2007...
, and as a legislative assistant to then Senator 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 Representative Pedro Figueroa, he opened his own law office in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
, where he lives, where he specialized in Administrative Law
Administrative law
Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law...
for over 10 years.
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...
President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Thomas Rivera Schatz
Thomas Rivera Schatz
Thomas "Tommy" Rivera Schätz is a Puerto Rican politician currently serving as the fourteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico and the United States Republican Party...
shepherded his confirmation through a committee hearing and a floor vote on May 11, 2011. The New Progressive Party majority voted in his favor while the Popular Democratic Party senators voted against the nomination.
Private life
Estrella, an active marathon runner, is married to a fellow attorney, Maribel Ramos, with whom he has two daughters, all of whom live in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.Honors and recognitions
- Miguel Velázquez Debate Competition, UPR Law School, 1996, before a jury composed of Federal District Judge Daniel R. DominguezDaniel R. DominguezDaniel R. Dominguez is a senior United States federal judge.Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dominguez received a B.A. from Boston University in 1967 and an LL.B. from the University of Puerto Rico Law School in 1970. He was in the United States Army Reserve in 1967...
, Justice Miriam NaveiraMiriam NaveiraMiriam Naveira Merly is a Puerto Rican jurist who served in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1985 to 2004. Naveira was the first female ever to serve on the court as well as the only female Chief Justice .-Biography:Naveira was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1934...
, Appellate Judge Lady Alfonso de Cumpiano, Prof. Miguel Velázquez and then Representative, and future Governor, Aníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal 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,...
.
- Benicio Sánchez Castaño Award to the graduating law student with the highest Criminal Law average, Puerto Rico Bar AssociationPuerto Rico Bar AssociationThe Puerto Rico Bar Association or Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico was founded in the 19th century and has evolved into an organization in which until 2009; all practicing attorneys must have been members in order to practice law in the United States territory of Puerto Rico...
, 1996.
Publication
"Codificación de la Pena de Restitución en Puerto Rico", an article in the UPR Law Review, 1996Sources
Statement by Luis F. Estrella Martínez, Associate Justice nominee, Judicial and Public Safety Committee, Senate of Puerto RicoSenate 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...
, May 11, 2011