Samuel Gaerlan

Samuel Hufano Gaerlan (born December 19, 1958) is a Filipino judge who has served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines since 2020. He was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to fill the vacated seat of Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, who was appointed chief justice.

Life and career

Gaerlan was born in San Juan, La Union on .

He started his legal career as a private practitioner, particularly as lead counsel, executive director and/or Corporate Secretary of various companies and associations. He became Public Attorney II of the Public Attorney's Office from 1990 to 1993. He then served as a Public Attorneys' Office lawyer before becoming a municipal trial court judge in Bangar, La Union from 1993 to 2001 and regional trial court judge in Branch 26 of San Fernando, La Union from 2001 to 2004 and in Branch 92 of Quezon City from 2004 to 2009. He was appointed as a Court of Appeals justice in 2009.

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court In 2017, Gaerlan was nominated and interviewed for the seat vacated by Jose C. Mendoza, but was not shortlisted.