Justice

**Justice or Associate Justices (AJ)** is a member of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

The Supreme Court shall be composed of a Chief Justice and fourteen Associate Justices. It may sit en banc or, in its discretion, in divisions of three, five, or seven members. (Art. VIII, §4) Its members shall be appointed by the President from a list of at least three nominees prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council for every vacancy, without need of confirmation by the Commission on Appointments. (Art. VIII, §9) Members of the Supreme Court are required to have proven competence, integrity, probity and independence; they
must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines, at least forty years old, with at least fifteen years of experience as a judge of a lower court or law practice in the country. (Art. VIII, §7) Justices shall hold office during good behavior until they reach the age of seventy years, or become incapacitated to discharge the duties of office. (Art. VIII, §11)

## Chief Justice

1. List of Chief Justices
2. Diosdado Peralta
3. Lucas Bersamin
4. Teresita Leonardo-De Castro
5. Maria Lourdes Sereno

## Current Justices

1. List of Justices
2. Estela Perlas-Bernabe
3. Marvic Leonen
4. Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa
5. Andres Reyes Jr.
6. Alexander Gesmudo
7. Jose Reyes Jr.
8. Ramon Paul Hernando
9. Rosmari Carandang
10. Amy Lazaro Javier
11. Henri Jean Paul Inting
12. Rodil Zalameda
13. vacant
14. vacant
15. vacant

## Members

**THE MEMBERS OF THE COURT**

* List of Chief Justices of the Philippines
* http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/aboutsc/justices/
* List of Senior Associate Justice
* List of **Associate Justices**

**Administrative Officers**

**Clerk of Court En Banc**
Atty. Edgar O. Aricheta

**Deputy Clerk of Court En Banc**
Atty. Anna-Li R. Papa-Gombio

**First Division Clerk of Court**
Atty. Librada C. Buena

**Second Division Clerk of Court**
Atty. Ma. Lourdes C. Perfecto

**Third Division Clerk of Court**
Atty. Wilfredo V. Lapitan

**Office of Administrative Services**
Atty. Ma. Carina M. Cunanan, Chief

**Fiscal Management and Budget Office**
Atty. Corazon G. Ferrer-Flores, Chief

**Chief Attorney**
Atty. Tomas W. Reyes Jr. , Chief

**Office of the Reporter**
Atty. Edna B. Camba, Chief

**Management Information Systems Office (MISO)**
Mr. Joselito N. Enriquez, Officer-in-Charge

**Bar Confidant**
Atty. Ma. Cristina B. Layusa, Chief

**Judicial Records Office**
Atty. Basilia T. Ringol, Chief

**Library Services**
Atty. Joyce Jazmin G. Dimaisip-Cunanan, Acting SC Senior Chief Staff Officer

**Public Information Office (@SCPh\_PIO)**
Atty. Brian Keith Hosaka, Chief

**Judicial Power and Jurisdiction**

* Under Article VIII, §1, the judicial power shall be vested in one

Supreme Court and in such lower courts as may be provided by law. This
power includes the duty to settle actual controversies involving rights
that are legally demandable and enforceable and to determine if any
branch or instrumentality of government has acted with grave abuse of
discretion amounting to lack of excess of jurisdiction.

* The Supreme Court has both original and appellate jurisdiction. It

exercises original jurisdiction (cases are directly filed with the SC in
 the first instance without passing through any of the lower courts)
over cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls,
and over petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto,
and habeas corpus. (Art. VIII, §5(1)). It also has original jurisdiction
 over writs of amparo, habeas data and the environmental writ of
kalikasan. It exercises appellate jurisdiction to review, revise,
reverse, modify, or affirm final judgments, and orders of the lower
courts in:

* + (a) All cases in which the constitutionality or validity of any

treaty, international or executive agreement, law, presidential decree,
proclamation, order, instruction, ordinance, or regulation is in
question.

* + (b) All cases involving the legality of any tax, impost, assessment, or toll, or any penalty imposed in relation thereto.
	+ (c) All cases in which the jurisdiction of any lower court is in issue.
	+ (d) All criminal cases in which the penalty imposed is reclusion perpetua or higher.
	+ (e) All cases in which only an error or question of law is involved. (Art. VIII, §5(1), (2))
* The Supreme Court has administrative supervision over all courts and

court personnel. (Article VIII, §6) It exercises this power through the
Office of the Court Administrator.
**Rule-making Powers**

* The Supreme Court has the exclusive power to promulgate rules

concerning the protection and enforcement of constitutional rights,
pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts, the admission to the
practice of law, the integrated bar, and legal assistance to the
underprivileged. Any such rules shall provide a simplified and
inexpensive procedure for the speedy disposition of cases, shall be
uniform for all courts of the same grade, and shall not diminish,
increase, or modify substantive rights. Rules of procedure of special
courts and quasi-judicial bodies shall remain effective unless
disapproved by the Supreme Court. (Art. VIII, §54(5))