PDP pledges to repeal judicial reform if returned to power
By THE STAR STAFF
The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) has formally committed to repealing Puerto Rico’s newly enacted judicial reform law, arguing that the measure threatens the independence of the island’s judicial branch and improperly alters powers established by the Constitution.
The party’s governing board approved Resolution No. 6-2026 on Wednesday, declaring its intention to restore the 2003 Judiciary Act and overturn the legislation signed into law a day earlier by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón despite calls for a veto from the chief justice of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court and the PDP legislative delegation.
“The Popular Democratic Party will always defend our Constitution and will not allow it to be dismantled in a dictatorial manner by the New Progressive Party,” PDP Secretary General Manuel Calderón Cerame said in a statement. “This reform was not designed to improve justice. It was designed to weaken the Judicial Branch. When the PDP returns to power in 2029, we will repeal it.”
According to the resolution, the new law transfers certain administrative powers from the chief justice’s office to the full Puerto Rico Supreme Court. Among the responsibilities affected is the appointment of regional administrative judges, a function that the PDP argues is assigned to the chief justice under Section 7 of Article V of Puerto Rico’s Constitution.
Party leaders contend that the legislation separates authority from accountability in the administration of the court system and amounts to an unconstitutional redistribution of powers.
The PDP maintains that any change to the current constitutional framework governing the judiciary should be pursued through a constitutional amendment approved by voters rather than through ordinary legislation.
“Today the Governing Board spoke with one voice,” Calderón Cerame said. “Judicial independence is not a partisan issue. It is a guarantee for every Puerto Rican who turns to the courts in search of justice. This commitment is now in writing, and we intend to fulfill it.”
The resolution marks one of the strongest responses by the opposition party to the judicial overhaul, which has generated controversy among legal and political circles since its approval.
In addition to addressing the judicial reform, the PDP governing board also approved a new philosophical framework for the party, which Calderón Cerame described as a commitment to solving people’s basic problems and reconnecting the party with voters’ everyday concerns.
The board also confirmed the appointment of attorney Axel E. Colón Pérez as alternate electoral commissioner.
The judicial reform is expected to remain a central political issue as Puerto Rico’s major parties begin positioning themselves for the 2028 election cycle.
