  the supreme court of 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 courts of the states of the united states; being the supreme court of puerto rico the highest state court and the court of last resort in puerto rico. article v of the constitution of puerto rico vests the judicial power on the supreme court&mdash;which by its nature forms the judicial branch of the government of puerto rico. the supreme court holds its sessions in san juan. == structure and powers == thumb|left|the supreme court building is at the entrance of the city of san juan. the supreme court of puerto rico was established by the foraker act in 1900 and maintained in the 1952 constitution of puerto rico. it is the only appellate court required by the constitution. all other courts are created by the legislative assembly of puerto rico. however, since puerto rico is under united states sovereignty, there is also a federal district court for the island. the justices (currently nine) are appointed by the governor of puerto rico and confirmed by majority vote by the senate. one of these nine justices serves as chief justice; the remaining members are designated associate justices. unlike the supreme court of the united states, the justices of the puerto rico supreme court do not serve for life, as the puerto rico constitution requires that all judges must retire upon reaching age 70. although the constitution of puerto rico provides for the court to be composed of five justices, it also contains a provision that the number may be altered, though only by petition of the court itself. this provision has been used four times in court history. immediately after the constitution's ratification, the court asked for two additional judges. during the early 1960s, the court 
Judiciary_of_Puerto_Rico State_supreme_courts_of_the_United_States Supreme_Court_of_Puerto_Rico