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Maite Oronoz Rodríguez (born 1976) is a Puerto Rican jurist who serves as the 17th
chief justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico () is the Chief Justice, presiding officer of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. The post of chief justice was created by Article V of Constitution of Puerto Rico, Article V of the Constitution ...
since 2016. Oronoz Rodríguez is Puerto Rico's first openly gay chief justice.


Early years and education

Oronoz Rodríguez earned her bachelor's degree in history at
Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...
, ''
cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'', where she was a member of Phi Alpha Theta. Later, she studied law at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, where she earned her
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
magna cum laude. She also earned a
Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...
at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
and has postgraduate studies in history from the
University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...
, and history and literature courses from the
University of Florence The University of Florence ( Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'') (in acronym UNIFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The f ...
, Italy. She was an editor of the ''University of Puerto Rico Law Review''.


Professional experience

Chief Justice Oronoz-Rodríguez began her professional career as a law clerk to former chief justice Federico Hernández-Denton, serving at the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 2002 to 2004. After earning an LL.M. at Columbia Law in New York, she served as deputy solicitor general and acting solicitor general of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2008. She engaged in the private practice of the law from 2009 to 2013, especially in the fields of commercial and civil litigation in both state and federal courts. Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, she served as chief legal counsel of the city of San Juan, from 2013 to 2014.


Supreme Court


Associate Justice

On June 4, 2014, Governor Alejandro García Padilla nominated Oronoz Rodríguez to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, following Associate Justice Liana Fiol Matta's nomination as chief justice. She was confirmed by the Senate on June 23, 2014. She was finally sworn in on July 15, 2014. During her swearing in ceremony, Oronoz Rodríguez declared that her "commitment will always be with those who demand justice, regardless of race, color, gender, nationality, social origin or condition, sexual orientation or identity, or political or religious ideals."


Chief Justice

Following the retirement of Chief Justice Fiol Matta, Gov. García Padilla nominated Oronoz Rodríguez to replace her on February 12, 2016. Three former Chief Justices expressed their support for Oronoz Rodríguez's nomination: José Andreu García, Hernández Denton, and Fiol Matta. After being confirmed by the Senate of Puerto Rico on February 22, 2016, she was sworn in as chief justice the same day. Oronoz Rodríguez was a member of the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices from 2021 to 2022 and participates in the Court Management and Public Engagement, Trust and Confidence Committee of this organization. She is also a collaborator of the Fairness and Awareness Work Group of the Blueprint for Racial Justice to address issues central to the justice system. In 2021, together with U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Sonia Sotomayor Sonia Maria Sotomayor (, ; born June 25, 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, and has served since ...
, she addressed over 157 judges from
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
as part of a United States Department of Justice training program for the judiciaries of the Western Hemisphere. In 2018 she received the “LLSA IMPACTO Award” in recognition for her leadership, commitment to public service and justice for all. She was awarded the National Center for State Courts’ 2018 Distinguished Service Award for her leadership overseeing the restoration of court services following hurricanes Irma and Maria.   In 2021, she became the first woman to chair the Senate and Representative Congressional Districts Constitutional Review Board. In 2022, she assumed the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Central American and Caribbean Judicial Council.


Personal life

Oronoz Rodríguez is married to Gina R. Méndez-Miró, judge of 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.; ) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The court is based in San ...
. Together they are the mothers of twins, a boy and a girl. In 2018, she became the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico to give birth while in office. In October 2021, she announced she was being treated for
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
.


See also

* List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists * List of LGBT jurists in the United States


References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Oronoz Rodriguez, Maite 1976 births Living people 21st-century Puerto Rican lawyers Associate justices of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Columbia Law School alumni LGBTQ judges Puerto Rican LGBTQ lawyers Puerto Rican lesbians Puerto Rican judges 21st-century Puerto Rican women lawyers University of Puerto Rico alumni Villanova University alumni Women chief justices LGBTQ appointed officials in insular areas of the United States