Duterte picks Court of Appeals Justice Javier for SC magistrate post

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Court of Appeals Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier as the newest member of the Supreme Court.

The STAR reported Exeuctive Secretary Salvador Medialdea has confirmed Javier’s appointment to the SC bench. She will take the seat vacated by former Associate Justice Noel Tijam who retired from the SC on January.

A copy of the appointment paper has yet to be made public.

She faced the Judicial and Bar Council in a public interview on June last year.

JBC interview

Javier is a graduate of University of Santo Tomas law school and during her interview with the JBC panel, she said that she was appointed as chairperson of the legal ethics department of the UST Faculty of Civil Law.

She has also been teaching for more than 30 years.

During the interview, she was asked for her opinion on the centralized law admission exam or the Philippine Law School Admission Test.

Javier said that she agrees with the conduct of the PhiLSAT.

 “The SC has been so overworked and personally I don’t think the SC has the time to oversee the policies, trends that must be adopted by the law schools,” Javier said.

The admission test would also help “determine the aptitude of students,” she added.

The SC wrapped up its oral arguments on the petition on Tuesday and gave parties 20 days to file their respective memoranda.

READ: Justices ask: Does PhiLSAT exclude those who want to pursue knowledge? | 

In the same interview, Javier also said that she does not see President Rodrigo Duterte as "enemy of women."

"I see him as a person who respects and loves his late mother who he credits to have unconditionally loved him and brought out theleader that he is," she replied.

"I see the president to be reasonable and I am confident that if I be accorded the honor of being onomiated for the post, the president will pass upon my qualifications on the merits," Javier also said.

She was also asked on landmark case SC United States case that sided with a baker who, due to his religious convictions, refused to create a cake for a gay couple.

Javier was asked what she would do if the case was raffled to her. She stressed that “violations of the bill of rights must be committed by state itself.” She stressed that the case “does not involve state intrusion.”

Javier added that if she was the baker in the case. She said that she will refuse the order. “I might just be motivated by revenge. This is a contract, and it is a contract to do and a contract to do may not be compelled.” — with a report from The STAR/Alexis Romero