Through the contributions and volunteer efforts of Day Pitney personnel, the Day Pitney Visiting Scholar program promotes positive developments in the law, legal scholarship, and legal and community education. The 2024 Program honored Judge Gustavo A. Gelpí of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and his many contributions to legal scholarship.
Judge Gelpí is a widely respected jurist who has dedicated his life to public service and promoting legal scholarship. He graduated in 1987 from Brandeis University and in 1991 from Suffolk University Law School. Following graduation, he clerked for Judge Juan M. Pérez-Giménez of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. After his clerkship, he served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender, Assistant Attorney General, and Solicitor General of Puerto Rico. Judge Gelpí was appointed as a Magistrate Judge in the District of Puerto Rico in 2001. In 2006, he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, where he served as Chief Judge from 2018 to 2021. In 2013, he began a term as the president of the Federal Bar Association. Judge Gelpí was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in October 2021. As a legal scholar, Judge Gelpí has written extensively on the evolution of the constitutional status of Puerto Rico and other American territories, has taught at all three law schools in Puerto Rico, and regularly shares his knowledge with law school students.
The 2024 Day Pitney Visiting Scholar Program featured a luncheon followed by a presentation given by Judge Gelpí.