President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has reappointed former Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Mendoza to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the constitutional body responsible for screening and vetting nominees to the judiciary, Malacañang said Saturday.

In a message to reporters, Palace Press Officer Attorney Claire Castro confirmed Mendoza’s reappointment, following an earlier deferral of his appointment by the Commission on Appointments (CA) on 07 October.

Mendoza initially rejoined the JBC in July 2025 through an ad interim appointment. With his reappointment now made official, he resumes his role in the council, which plays a key part in maintaining the integrity of judicial appointments.

The reappointment follows the Commission on Appointments’ (CA) decision to defer deliberations on Mendoza’s ad interim appointment last week.

Senator Imee Marcos led the opposition to Mendoza’s appointment, raising concerns over what she called the Judicial and Bar Council’s “ever-changing rules” and criticizing the former Supreme Court justice for providing “unresponsive and inadequate answers” during the confirmation hearing.

“I am deeply disturbed and alarmed by the responses of Justice Mendoza to the questions of the chair, of Congressman Garbin, of Senator Villanueva, and those of myself, casting doubt on the probity and independence of the JBC,” she said during the CA session.

A seasoned legal mind, Mendoza passed the 1971 Bar Examinations and went on to serve as legal officer for several major private institutions, including the Philippine Banking Corporation, Manila Electric Company (Meralco), and the Gokongwei Group of Companies.

He entered government service in 1977 as a research attorney at the Court of Appeals (CA), later rising through the judicial ranks to become a trial court judge and eventually a CA justice. In 2010, he was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, where he served until his mandatory retirement at age 70 in August 2017.

Shortly after retiring from the high court, Mendoza was first appointed to the JBC under then-President Rodrigo Duterte in October 2017.

The Judicial and Bar Council is a constitutionally mandated body that screens applicants for appointments to the judiciary, from trial courts up to the Supreme Court, as well as key positions in the Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman. Its recommendations serve as the shortlist from which the President selects judicial appointees.