Héctor Martínez Muñoz

Who was Héctor Martínez Muñoz?

Héctor Martínez Muñoz was the first member of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico appointed by Governor Luis A. Ferré and confirmed by an opposition-controlled Senate of Puerto Rico presided by Rafael Hernández Colón.

Born on in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Martínez obtained a B.A. from Virginia State University and a law degree in 1951 from the University of Puerto Rico. During twenty years he practiced law in the private sector but served ad honorem on the State Board of Education, as a Bar examiner and on the Legislative Committee of the Puerto Rico Bar Association.

In 1971, Gov. Ferré, after withdrawing two nominations that the opposition-led Senate was going to reject, appointed Martínez as Associate Justice. Negotiations with the Senate led to his confirmation, assuming his post on the bench on June 12, 1971. After Luis Negrón Fernández resigned on September 15, 1972 after a second stint as Chief Justice, Ferré nominated Martínez for Chief Justice but the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico majority in the Senate rejected his elevation to the court's top post. Less than a year later, Martínez resigned from the bench and returned to private practice.