Liana Fiol Matta (born October 20, 1946) is a Puerto Rican jurist, who served as the 16th

chief justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ( es, Jefe del Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico) is the presiding officer of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. The post of Chief Justice was created by Article V of the Constitution of Puerto ...

. Fiol was born in

Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

and is the second woman in Puerto Rican history to serve in the highest court of the island as well as being the second woman to hold the post of chief justice.

Biography

Fiol received her law degree from the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

, magna cum laude, and later her master's and doctorate degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. She was a law professor in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

during the 1980s until she was appointed Judge of the Court of Appeals of Puerto Rico by Governor

Rafael Hernández Colón Rafael Hernández Colón (October 24, 1936 – May 2, 2019) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1973 to 1977 and 1985 to 1993 for a total of three terms. An experienced politician, Hernández held the ...

. She held that seat until 2003, when Governor

Sila Calderón Sila may refer to : Places and jurisdictions ; Asia * Silla, one of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea * Sila, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ; Europe * La Sila, a mountainous area of Calabria, Italy ** Sila National Park * Siła, Warmian-Ma ...

appointed her to associated justice for the Puerto Rico Supreme Court. She was confirmed by the Senate and began her duties on February, 2004. At present besides being an Associate Justice of the

Puerto Rico Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ( es, Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico) is the highest court of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority to interpret and decide questions of Puerto Rican law. The Court is analogous to one of the state supreme cou ...

, she is a tenured professor at the

University of Puerto Rico School of Law The University of Puerto Rico School of Law is a law school in Puerto Rico. It is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus and the only law school in the University of Puerto Rico System. It ...

. On April 11, 2014, Fiol Matta became the 16th

, after being nominated by Governor

Alejandro García Padilla Alejandro Javier García Padilla (; born August 3, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2017. Prior to this position, García Padilla held various roles in the political la ...

, thus succeeding

Federico Hernández Denton Federico Hernández Denton (born April 12, 1944 Santurce, Puerto Rico) was the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Biography Hernández Denton received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College in 1966 and a Juris Doctor from ...

as court chief justice. Served as chief justice until her retirement on February 1, 2016. Justice Fiol Matta was perceived as the leading liberal voice in the Puerto Rican high court.

Notes

External links

Supreme Court of Puerto Rico: ''"Conservative and Slow"'' (''Conservador y lento'') - Primera Hora; Oscar J. Serrano; April 2, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiol Matta, Liana 1946 births Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Columbia University alumni Living people People from Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Trinity Washington University alumni University of Puerto Rico alumni Women chief justices