237428),[3][4][5] which nullified Maria Lourdes Sereno's appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, finding that she never lawfully held the office due to a lack of integrity for failing to file certain required financial documents.

[6] The case began with a filing before the House of Representatives of an impeachment demand,[7][8] the accusations in which Solicitor General Jose Calida used as the factual basis for his quo warranto petition.

An impeachment process against Sereno began on August 30, 2017, when 25 lawmakers sponsored a petition against her filed by Larry Gadon,[7] former lawyer to President Macapagal-Arroyo.

[16] The main argument for her impeachment was that Sereno allegedly failed to declare her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) in full during her 17-year teaching period at the University of the Philippines College of Law (UPCL).

[20] Indeed, this is the only way the term is used in law professor Ernesto C. Salao's[note 3] widely cited 858-page book The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines (2001 ed.).

[9][10] The traditional one year limitation on quo warranto actions, part of the Rules of Court, was immediately raised by Sereno and those in the media.

[8] Duterte also criticized the slow speed of the impeachment process in Congress, citing it as the reason for his administration's quo warranto petition.

Tijam wrote that "to [require Congress to] momentarily abandon their legislative duties to focus on impeachment proceedings [against] a public official, who at the outset, may clearly be unqualified [would be a] waste of time.

He expressed disfavor in removing an impeachable official through a quo warranto petition, writing: "We render this Court subservient to an aggressive Solicitor General.

"[43][44] In his dissent, Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, wrote that the majority had allowed the executive to take a "[less traveled] prohibited road".

[46] The Supreme Court denied with finality Sereno's motion for reconsideration for "lack of merit" on June 19, 2018, in an 8–6 decision, with no justices changing their vote.

[48][47] The petitioner, Solicitor General Jose Calida, stated: "The Supreme Court decision ousting Maria Lourdes Sereno augurs well for the country, as it preserves the stability and integrity of the Judiciary.

"[49] Senator Antonio Trillanes said that the Supreme Court majority had committed a "heinous crime against our justice system" which had "killed the Constitution".

[...] Ultimately, the rejection of constitutional checks and balances concentrates power in the hands of Duterte and his allies, posing the greatest danger to democracy in the Philippines since the Marcos dictatorship.

[1] Opposition lawmakers of the Congress filed an impeachment complaint on August 23, 2018, against 7 Associate Justices who voted for the quo warranto petition based on the grounds of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.

[52] On August 25, Teresita de Castro, who only had two months left to serve in office, was appointed by president Rodrigo Duterte as the new Chief Justice[53] after being included on a list of candidates by the Judicial and Bar Council a day prior.