The legal system of

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 ...

is a mix of the civil law and the

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipres ...

systems.

Language

Puerto Rico is the only current U.S. jurisdiction whose legal system operates primarily in a language other than

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances i ...

: namely,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. Because the U.S. federal government operates primarily in English, Puerto Rican attorneys are typically bilingual in order to litigate in English in U.S. federal courts and to litigate federal preemption issues in Puerto Rican courts.

Sources

United States Code

Title 48 of the United States Code Title 48 of the United States Code outlines the role of United States territories and insular areas in the United States Code. * : Bureau of Insular Affairs * : Alaska * : Hawaii * : Puerto Rico * : Philippine Islands * : Panama Canal Zone * : Vir ...

outlines the role of the United States Code to United States territories and insular areas such as Puerto Rico.

Leyes de Puerto Rico

Many of the Laws of Puerto Rico () are modeled after the Spanish Civil Code, which is part of the

Law of Spain The Law of Spain is the legislation in force in the Kingdom of Spain, which is understood to mean Spanish territory, Spanish waters, consulates and embassies, and ships flying the Spanish flag in democratically elected institutions. Characteristi ...

. After the U.S. government assumed control of Puerto Rico in 1901, it initiated legal reforms resulting in the adoption of codes of criminal law, criminal procedure, and civil procedure modeled after those then in effect in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Although Puerto Rico has since followed the federal example of transferring criminal and civil procedure from statutory law to rules promulgated by the judiciary, several portions of its criminal law still reflect the influence of the California Penal Code.

Judicial system

The judicial branch is headed by the Chief 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 c ...

, which is the only appellate court required by the Constitution. All other courts are created by the

Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico The Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico ( es, Asamblea Legislativa de Puerto Rico) is the territorial legislature of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, responsible for the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico. The Assembly is a bic ...

. As Puerto Rico is under United States sovereignty, U.S. federal law applies in the territory, and cases of a federal nature are heard in the

United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico (in case citations, D.P.R.; es, Tribunal del Distrito de Puerto Rico) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The court is ...

References

External links

Leyes de Puerto Rico on LexJuris.com

Puerto Rico Resources
Georgetown Law Library
The Laws of Puerto Rico, and other downloads
Office of Legislative Services to the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly
Guide to Law Online: U.S. Puerto Rico

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

* {{North America topic, Law of