Quick Facts
Biography
José Antonio Fusté (born November 3, 1943 in San Juan, Puerto Rico), is a former United States District Judge and former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
Fusté received a B.B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico in 1965, and an LL.B. from the University of Puerto Rico Law School in 1968. He was in private practice in San Juan from 1968 to 1985, and began teaching Admiralty law at the University of Puerto Rico in 1972.
On September 27, 1985, he was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico vacated by Juan R. Torruella. Fusté was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 25, 1985, and received his commission on October 28, 1985. He served as Chief Judge from 2004 to 2011. He retired from active service on June 1, 2016.
In October, 2007, Chief Judge Fusté appointed acting United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez to a four-year extension of her term, and she has remained the U.S. Attorney as of 2014.
Judge Fusté's request to withdraw as a member of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, a compulsory membership organization, was approved by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.