’Tis the season for SC justices to be busy

The Supreme Court building. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

For Supreme Court magistrates, ’tis the season to be busy.

High court justices are already anticipating a working holiday season as urgent election-related cases are expected to be filed throughout the month, and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to finalize the list of candidates by early January.

“In fact, we understand and it is clear to us that this Christmas season will not be a usual season for us. There might be things that we need to set aside because of the urgency of matters that need to be resolved,” said Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in an interview Friday afternoon.

“So we are keenly aware of all of those, and you can see that most of the justices will be making themselves available for any eventuality,” she said when asked if the court would take into account Comelec’s timeline of preparation for the May 2016 elections.

High court justices held their last official en banc session on Dec. 8, but the court, along with the judiciary, will be open except for the public holidays.

Aware of the long-term and national impact of their actions, Sereno said the justices have already started preparing individually, “undertaking preliminary research and preliminary reading.”

She said the high court would employ “utmost wisdom” in resolving cases to be raised before the tribunal.

“I don’t personally see this as just a contest for 2016, who is able to wield power for the next six years, but the impact of whatever decision will come out from us as well as the election itself will have long-term consequences on our country,” Sereno said.

“It will measure, gauge our ability to really be a modern democracy. It will tell the world whether we live by the rules we have set for ourselves or whether politics trumps everything else. So we must look at our roles now in this life,” she continued.

Currently pending before the Supreme Court are several petitions with the Comelec as respondent, including questions surrounding the Automated Election System and the acquisition of several technologies for the polls, the voter registration deadline and the additional requirement for biometric data for registered voters.

The high court is also handling the petition filed by defeated senatorial candidate Rizalito David against the Senate Electoral Tribunal’s (SET) ruling that upheld presidential aspirant Grace Poe’s qualification for the 2013 senatorial race.

READ: David asks SC to reverse SET decision on Poe disqualification case

In a 5-4 vote, the SET had affirmed Poe’s status as a natural-born citizen.

READ: SET denies disqualification case vs Grace Poe