supreme court

Chief Justice Miguel S. Demapan is the third chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which was established in 1988. Justice Demapan is one of nine children, born and raised on Saipan. He began his academic distinction early when he graduated as class valedictorian of Marianas High School in 1971. Originally interested in pursuing a medical career, Justice Demapan attended Seattle University in Washington under a Trust Territory Full Scholarship. He received his Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in chemistry in 1975. He then earned a Masters in Business Administration with honors from Golden Gate University in San Francisco in 1983. He finally settled on a career in law after earning his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University in California in 1985. In May of 2005, he received a Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Guam. Upon his return to Saipan, Justice Demapan embarked on a legal career, beginning as general counsel for J.C. Tenorio Enterprises, Inc. He then opened a solo private practice. A few years later, the law offices of Demapan and Atalig were representing major business and local clients. Also during his private practice, Justice Demapan served as a member of the CNMI Tax Task Force and the CNMI Federal Bench Council. The Chief Justice first joined the judiciary in November 1992, when he became an Associate Judge for the Commonwealth Superior Court. In July 1998, he was appointed to the Commonwealth Supreme Court as an Associate Justice. In July 1999, after being nominated by Governor Pedro P. Tenorio, Miguel S. Demapan was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Commonwealth Supreme Court. Aside from his duties and responsibilities under Section 9 of Article IV of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Chief Justice Demapan's activities include: • Chairman, Commonwealth Law Revision Commission • Judge Pro Tem, Superior Court of Guam • President, Pacific Judicial Council (2000-2002) and (2008 – present) • Member, Pacific Judicial Council(1998-Present) • Member, Conference of Chief Justices (U.S.A.) • Board of Directors, United States Conference of Chief Justices (2002-2003) • Member, Asia Pacific Conference of Chief Justices • Member, CNMI Federal Bench Council • Member, World Jurist Association • Former Representative, National Judicial College Assembly • Alumni, National Judicial College (Reno, Nevada) • Alumni, National Institute of Trial Advocacy Chief Justice Demapan and his wife Frances Tenorio Demapan have five children.

Before his ascension to the Supreme Court bench on July 9, 1998, Justice Alexandro Cruz Castro served the People of the Commonwealth as Superior Court Presiding Judge (1993-1998); Superior Court Associate Judge (1989-1993); and CNMI Attorney General (1986- 1989). Born on April 23, 1952 in Tinian, Justice Castro was taken to and raised on Rota when he was only three months old. In 1968, Justice Castro went to Guam to pursue a higher education and then returned to Rota in 1971 after graduating from George Washington Senior High School. He worked one year each as a high school teacher, a police officer, an assistant hotel manager, and an assistant clerk of court. In 1972, Justice Castro served as a member of the Rota Municipal Council. On July 27, 1979, Justice Castro graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Papua New Guinea (a British oriented law school) with a Bachelor of Laws Degree. While in law school, Justice Castro went to Washington, D.C. and represented UPNG in the renowned Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. After being admitted to the CNMI Bar on September 26, 1979, Justice Castro joined the criminal division of the Attorney General’s Office as an assistant prosecutor. Three years later, he became the chief prosecutor of the CNMI. On April 26, 1986, Justice Castro was sworn in as the first indigenous Attorney General. He was instrumental in setting up the Attorney General's Cup Speech Competition – an annual speech contest whereby high school students from Rota, Tinian and Saipan debate a current legal issue facing the Northern Mariana Islands. In 1989, Justice Castro ascended to the CNMI Superior Court Bench as an associate judge and in 1993 he became the presiding judge thereof. Nine years later, Justice Castro ascended to the Supreme Court bench where he now sits as one of the three appellate justices. Justice Castro also serves as a designated justice in the Guam Supreme Court. Justice Castro is admitted to practice law in the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth Courts, and the High Court of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. He is married to Carmen Moses Castro from Angaur, Palau, and they are blessed with six children (Patrick, Eric, Yvonne, Alex Jr., Rodney, and Ariel).

Justice John A. Manglona, born on Rota on June 12, 1959, has been a justice of the Commonwealth Supreme Court since May 2000. He served a four-year term as a Designated Justice in the Guam Supreme Court from 1999-2003. He was also an associate judge in the Superior Court from 1998 to 2000. Justice Manglona graduated from Father Duenas Memorial High School in Guam in 1977 and received his B.A. in Political Economy from the University of California at Berkeley in 1981. He graduated from Creighton University School of Law (J.D., 1984) and the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (LL.M in Taxation, 1988). Prior to his appointment to the bench, Justice Manglona was in private practice. Justice Manglona is married to Judge Mona V. Manglona, and they have two children.