MANILA— Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda has been appointed as the new chief justice of the Supreme Court, succeeding Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is set to retire on Friday, Nov. 6.

Zalameda, 63, was appointed to the Supreme Court on Aug. 6, 2019. Before joining the high court, he served as an associate justice of the Court of Appeals and later presided over its 17th Division.

He authored the Supreme Court decision acquitting former First Lady Imelda Marcos of seven counts of graft after the court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Zalameda also wrote the landmark ruling in Deduro v. Maj. Gen. Vinoya, in which the Supreme Court recognized that red-tagging, vilification, labeling, and guilt by association with groups accused of illegal activities could threaten a person’s rights to life, liberty, and security.

In the ruling, the court said these acts may serve as grounds for the issuance of a writ of amparo.