The complaint stemmed from statements Govendo made from the bench to a defendant in a family law case in July 2007.
Under the Commonwealth Rules of Judicial Disciplinary Procedure, the investigating judge is tasked with evaluating such a complaint, then either dismissing it for lack of merit or recommending that the Supreme Court initiate formal disciplinary action.
Benson has submitted his findings and recommendations to the CNMI Supreme Court.
He concluded that there is sufficient evidence to proceed with formal disciplinary proceedings.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court notified Govendo of the findings against him, and ordered him to file an answer to the allegations within 15 days.
The court set a hearing date for Dec. 17, 2009.
