Este informe no está disponible en español. ASSOCIATED PRESS Rossello Designates Supreme Court Replacement May 17, 2000 Copyright © 2000 ASSOCIATED PRESS. All Rights Reserved. SAN JUAN (AP) — Only 24 hours after Supreme Court Justice Antonio Negron Garcia resigned his seat effective June 30, La Fortaleza officials announced that Gov. Pedro Rossello had appointed appellate court judge Efrain Rivera Perez to fill the vacancy. Rivera Perez will have to be confirmed by the Senate. Negron Garcia resigned Monday to his post to retire after 34 years of service in the judiciary, 25 of which were in the island’s top court. Rossello accepted the resignation and said his designee would be someone who shared his "vision" that Puerto Rico should become a state of the U.S. New Progressive Party officials have charged that the Supreme Court is dominated by Popular Democratic Party appointees, who support commonwealth status. Rivera Perez, who worked as a district judge in 1983, a superior court judge in 1984, and as acting Justice secretary in 1993, also headed the Judicial Reform Office until February 1995, when he was appointed to the Circuit Court of Appeals. Self-Determination Legislation | Puerto Rico Herald Home Newsstand | Puerto Rico | U.S. Government | Archives Search | Mailing List | Contact Us | Feedback