Retired Justice Brion backs Associate Justice Midas Marquez for Supreme Court chief
Retired Supreme Court associate justice Arturo Brion has nominated Associate Justice Jose Midas Marquez to become the next chief justice as Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo prepares to retire.
Former Supreme Court associate justice Arturo Brion submitted a nomination on September 4 urging the Judicial and Bar Council to select Associate Justice Jose Midas Marquez as the next chief justice of the Philippines. Brion highlighted Marquez’s strong work ethic, his tenure as court administrator, and his contributions to the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027, arguing he is well-suited to continue reforms initiated by outgoing Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who will retire on November 6.
The nomination follows an earlier endorsement by the Association of Retired Regional Trial Courts. The JBC, already processing nominations, has formally invited the five most senior associate justices—Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, and Rodil V. Zalameda—to apply, a practice formalized since the early 2000s. Marquez has not yet responded, and a nominee becomes an applicant only after accepting the nomination. The process underscores the judiciary’s emphasis on continuity and modernization.
Why it matters
The choice of chief justice will shape the Philippines’ judicial direction and reform agenda.
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