September 23, 2022
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Kobre & Kim is highlighting and reflecting on the unique contributions made by Hispanic individuals to American society both inside and outside of the legal industry. Today, we honor late Judge Miriam Naveira Merely.
Judge Naveira was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She obtained a Master of Laws from Columbia University and a law degree from the University of Puerto Rico. Throughout her career as an attorney, Judge Naveira achieved an impressive number of firsts, including becoming the first woman to hold the position of Assistant Attorney General in charge of Antitrust Affairs at the Department of Justice; the first woman Solicitor General of Puerto Rico; and the first Latina to argue before the Supreme Court. In 1985, she continued breaking barriers by becoming the first woman to serve as Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico and the court’s first female Chief Justice in 2003.
After a long and accomplished career of breaking barriers for women in the legal industry, Judge Naveira passed away in 2018. Judge Naveira is remembered for her incredible aptitude as a jurist and her advocacy for gender equality.