The Hon. Gustavo A. Gelpi
We are excited to welcome the Hon. Gustavo A. Gelpi for a conversation about his judicial career, including his work on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Judge Gelpi, who has taught at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has served in many judicial roles, including as U.S. Magistrate Judge and U.S. District Judge. He has also worked as a public defender. Laura Knoy, community engagement director for the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service, will lead the lunch-time conversation with Judge Gelpi about his many roles, the legal system from the vantage point of Puerto Rico, and some of his major rulings, including a Clean Water Act case and a consent decree involving the police department of Puerto Rico.
Registration is required. Visit here to register.
The Hon. Gustavo A. Gelpí was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was raised and studied in a bilingual setting. Judge Gelpí obtained his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University in 1987 and his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1991. From 1991-1993, Judge Gelpí served as law clerk for the Honorable Juan M. Pérez-Giménez, United States District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico. From 1993 to 1996, he served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender. From 1997 to 2000, Judge Gelpí served as an Assistant Attorney General, and later as Solicitor General of Puerto Rico, In 2001, after a brief stint in probate privatice, he was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge in the District of Puerto Rico. He served in that capacity until he was appointed by President George W Bush as a United States District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico in 2006. From 2018 to 2021 Judge Gelpí served as Chief Judge of his District. In 2021 President Joseph Biden appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
