Who's who: 4 ex-justices to guide Senate on votes needed to convict VP Sara
The Philippine Senate has appointed four retired Supreme Court justices to serve as amici curiae to advise on the voting threshold required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte. The court is currently debating whether the two-thirds majority requirement should be based on the full 24-member Senate or a reduced count due to absent or detained senators.
Why it matters
The outcome of this legal interpretation will directly determine the political future of the Vice President and sets a precedent for impeachment proceedings in the Philippines.
MANILA, Philippines - Three former chief justices and a retired associate justice, two of whom helped write the 1987 Constitution, will advise the Senate impeachment court next week on a key question hanging over the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte: how many votes should it take to convict?
Presiding Officer Sen. Chiz Escudero chose retired Chief Justices Artemio Panganiban, Reynato Puno and Hilario Davide Jr., and retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna, as amici curiae, or "friends of the court," based on their credentials, their Supreme Court decisions and legal writings, their role in framing the Constitution, and their "known impartiality," impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said Friday, September 11.
Panganiban, Puno and Azcuna will appear in person on September 16, a day the court will exclusively devote to hearing the experts.
Davide, who cannot attend, will submit a legal memorandum to be read on the floor.
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