U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the First Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Jay A. Garcia-Gregory | Clinton (D) | 2000 |
| Francisco Augusto Besosa | Bush (R) | 2006 |
| Aida M. Delgado-Colón | Bush (R) | 2006 |
| Pedro Alberto Delgado Hernández | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| Raúl Manuel Arias-Marxuach | Trump (R) | 2019 |
| Silvia Luisa Carreño-Coll | Trump (R) | 2020 |
| María del R. Antongiorgi-Jordán | Biden (D) | 2022 |
| Camille Lizette Vélez-Rivé | Biden (D) | 2022 |
| Gina Raquel Méndez-Miró | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Gustavo Antonio Gelpí Jr. | Bush (R) | 2006–2021 |
| Salvador E. Casellas | Clinton (D) | 1994–2017 |
| Daniel R. Domínguez | Clinton (D) | 1994–2024 |
| José Antonio Fusté | Reagan (R) | 1985–2016 |
| Héctor Manuel Laffitte | Reagan (R) | 1983–2007 |
| Raymond L. Acosta | Reagan (R) | 1982–2014 |
| Jaime Pieras Jr. | Reagan (R) | 1982–2011 |
| Carmen Consuelo Cerezo | Carter (D) | 1980–2021 |
| Gilberto Gierbolini-Ortiz | Carter (D) | 1980–2004 |
| Juan Manuel Pérez-Giménez | Carter (D) | 1979–2020 |
| Juan R. Torruella | Ford (R) | 1974–1984 |
| Hernan Gregorio Pesquera | Nixon (R) | 1972–1982 |
| José Victor Toledo | Nixon (R) | 1970–1980 |
| Hiram Rafael Cancio | Johnson (D) | 1967–1974 |
| Juan B. Fernandez-Badillo | Johnson (D) | 1967–1989 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1967.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.