Supreme Court

A unanimous ruling grants a writ of mandamus compelling the Senate and House to finally enact the constitutional ban on political dynasties — the same Congress that passed a widely criticized "watered-down" version in June and then let it stall in the Senate.

With four senator-judges unable to take part in Sara Duterte's impeachment trial, the Senate impeachment court will decide by Sept. 23 whether the 16-vote conviction threshold should still count absent members — a ruling that could reshape the case's outcome.

The Supreme Court's First Division has overturned Imelda Marcos' 2018 graft conviction over Swiss foundations, ruling prosecutors never properly authenticated key evidence more than three decades after the ill-gotten wealth case was filed.

Nine senators led by Alan Peter Cayetano filed a 97-page petition before the Supreme Court on June 16 seeking to nullify the June 3 session that installed Sherwin Gatchalian as Acting Senate President, arguing it lacked a quorum and was "engineered" by the Executive — one day before President Marcos convened Congress in a special session that the majority intends to use to formally reorganize the chamber.

The Supreme Court on June 10 threw out a petition filed by a high school teacher asking the court to affirm the quorum in the June 3 Senate session that installed Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian — ruling that the petitioner failed to show any direct injury from the disputed session, leaving the Senate leadership contest unresolved by the judiciary.

Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said a senator held as a detention prisoner cannot attend sessions, vote, or be counted toward a quorum or majority — and that the Plunder Law independently bars Sen. Jinggoy Estrada from filing bills, a legal reading that carries direct stakes for the Senate's contested leadership math.

The Office of the Solicitor General filed an 83-page comment urging the Supreme Court to dismiss Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's bid to block his ICC arrest, arguing Philippine law already authorizes enforcement of the warrant and that dela Rosa's conduct since the warrant surfaced makes him a fugitive from justice.

The Supreme Court upholds stricter environmental requirements for mining operations in a landmark ruling that affirms DENR authority and sets new standards for resource extraction in the Philippines.