The Magnificent 7 opposition group reiterates its call for at least seven Supreme Court justices to inhibit from the en banc adjudication of the quo warranto petition against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Six of the seven justices testified against Sereno in the impeachment proceedings before the House Committee on Justice, and one justice, together with the six others, figured prominently in the ouster move against Sereno which ended in forcing her to go on an indefinite leave.

These seven justices cannot be impartial jurists because of their manifest antagonism against the chief magistrate.

Under these adverse circumstances, due discretion on the part of the affected justices as well as the Rules of Court and Code of Judicial Ethics demand their inhibition.

Impeachment and quo warranto have the same ultimate objective, which is the removal of Sereno.

The seven justices must not be allowed to seize the opportunity presented by the pending quo warranto petition to consummate their design to oust the Chief Justice.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN