Angel G. Hermida

Hermida obtained a Bachelor of Science in Physics (1963), cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a General Motors National Scholarship. He received a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Fellowship for graduate studies in Physics at Duke University from 1963 to 1964. He then taught physics at the Mayagüez Campus of the University of Puerto Rico from 1964 to 1966. He obtained his law degree, magna cum laude, in 1969 from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law and a LL.M. in 1972 from Harvard Law School with a Ford Urban Law Fellowship.

He began his law career working at Legal Aid Services (1969-1970) in Puerto Rico. The next year he became Director of the Legal Division of Puerto Rico's Environmental Quality Board (Junta de Calidad Ambiental). From 1973 to 1974 he was a Special Aid to Rafael Hernández Colón, on his first term as Governor of Puerto Rico. His duties as Special Aid included legislation, appointments, security, executive clemency as well as legal counsel to other aids. In September 1974 he was appointed as Chief Clerk of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Assistant to Chief Justice José Trías Monge.

Two years later, in 1976, he was appointed by Governor Hernández Colón as Superior Court Judge, a position in which he served for 21 consecutive years until retirement in 1997. He then served as President of the Advertising Review Board of the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico) and as Member of the “Blue Ribbon Committee” or the Independent Commission of Citizens to Evaluate Government Transactions (Comisión Independiente de Ciudadanos para Evaluar Transacciones Gubernamentales) established by the first elected female governor in the history of Puerto Rico Sila María Calderón.