The Supreme Court En Banc has dismissed a petition challenging the legality of the June 3, 2026 Senate session, which resulted in changes in Senate leadership and amendments to the chamber’s impeachment rules.
In a resolution dated August 26, 2026, the Court dismissed the petition for certiorari filed by lawyers Valeriano S. Loon and Zigfred M. Diaz, who brought the case as taxpayers, officers of the court, and in the public interest.
The petition questioned actions taken during the Senate session, including the leadership change and amendments to the rules governing impeachment proceedings.
The Supreme Court said the petitioners failed to sufficiently establish that the respondents committed grave abuse of discretion.
The Court specifically ruled that the conduct of the June 3 session “appear[s] to be in accord with the facts and applicable law and jurisprudence.”
The June 3 session proceeded after 12 senators established a quorum. The chamber subsequently vacated its leadership posts and elected Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President.
The Senate also amended its impeachment rules to provide for the election of a presiding officer in impeachment trials involving officials other than the President.
With the dismissal, the Supreme Court left the challenged actions arising from the June 3 Senate session undisturbed.
