President Duterte has appointed Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez as the new Supreme Court (SC) associate justice, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea told Palace reporters on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
Marquez, who is the High Court’s longest-serving court administrator and who also once served as its spokesperson, will replace Justice Edgardo L. Delos Santos.
In December 2018, he was reappointed as spokesperson while concurrently holding the position of court administrator.
In September 2018, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio opposed Marquez’ bid for SC associate justice to replace Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
The presidential daughter then wrote to the Office of the President, alleging that a friend of Marquez went to her to try to curry her favor for him to be appointed associate justice.
This was asked from Marquez during his interview before the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).
Duterte-Carpio warned her father, the President, to “think twice in appointing this individual to be a justice—more so a chief justice.”
Based on JBC rules, anybody can send an opposition to any applicant for the judiciary, as long as it is submitted within 10 days of the announcement of nominees.
Marquez said that he has “well-meaning friends and acquaintances” who wanted to help in any way they could for him to be appointed as an associate justice.
The 2018 application was the fourth time that Marquez applied for a vacancy on the High Court.
Marquez was appointed court administrator in 2010. As court administrator, he supervised all lower courts in the country.
Born in 1966, Marquez is expected to serve in the SC for a lengthy 15 years or until 2036. That's when he will turn 70 years old, the retirement age for judiciary members.