Figueroa-Rodriguez v. Puerto Rico Department of Education — 1st Cir. (Nov 5, 2026)

No. 25-1318 Argued November 5, 2026 Published November 6, 2026

The First Circuit hears a Puerto Rico teacher's employment dispute. He was fired in 2023 and later won reinstatement and backpay through an administrative appeal. That background matters, but another legal framework is also in play: Puerto Rico's debt restructuring under the federal law PROMESA. A discharge injunction can prevent lawsuits seeking payment on claims covered by that restructuring. The plan became effective in March 2022, before the firing. As you listen, keep separate the events offered as background and the particular conduct for which a plaintiff seeks relief. The dispute over a debt discharge is not the same as deciding whether employment discrimination occurred. Listen closely to how the lawyers describe what the complaint actually claims, and whether the earlier history changes the treatment of later events.

Figueroa-Rodriguez v. Puerto Rico Department of Education (No. 25-1318) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, argued November 5, 2026.

Sources

Argument audio — official First Circuit recording; complete argument and closing; fixed peak attenuation only:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/oralargs/25-1318_20261105.mp3

Case and argument date — official First Circuit archive:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/doar/results/2026-11

Teacher's dismissal and administrative-award background — related separate D.P.R. 25-1492, Doc. 22, September 30, 2026; not the order under appeal here:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-prd-3_25-cv-01492/pdf/USCOURTS-prd-3_25-cv-01492-0.pdf

General PROMESA and discharge context — Villalobos-Santana, First Circuit No. 24-1776, April 2, 2026, pages 2–4 and 11; a different case, not this appeal’s outcome:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/opnfiles/24-1776P-01A.pdf

0:00Introduction