CNMI and Guam officials on Thursday held a virtual joint proclamation-signing designating April 28-May 2, 2025, as Law Week.
The CNMI proclamation encourages all people in the Commonwealth “to expand their understanding of the Constitution, promote unity between all members of the American political family, and deepen their respect for the co-equal branches of government.”
Likewise, the proclamation calls upon all people “to embrace the principles of democracy enshrined in the Constitution, celebrate efforts towards maintaining a more perfect union, and uphold the rule of law.”
This year’s Law Week is celebrated with the theme, “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many One.”
In his remarks, Guam Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert J. Torres Jr. said the occasion is a time to reflect on “the principles that hold us together as a nation and on the work ahead to make those principles real for all.”
He said the theme this year reminds everyone that “the strength of our democracy comes not from uniformity but from unity built across from different histories and experiences.”
“That promise, however, remains incomplete across the country and particularly in the territory. Inequality persists in access to federal resources, political representation, and the full application of constitutional protection…,” Torres said.
“While we might not be all states, we are very much part of the American story,” he added.
For his part, CNMI Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro said: “Our respective jurisdictions are separated by water and by our colonial past, but we are united by our duties and responsibilities as members of the American political family and our shared commitment to upholding the rule of law across our island nations.”
Guam Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero said, “We must as a society remember that the basic foundation of our order as a government, as a society is the rule of law. Our framers of the Constitution recognize this. And they in the Constitution put down provisions that will provide for liberty, justice and equality. They also prohibited tyranny by establishing the three branches of government.”
She added, “When we go about our business in our daily lives, we always have to respect the Constitution. We always have to respect our Organic Act. Nobody, no one is beyond the law. The law is very critical to keeping us in order. As result of a society in order, we then continue to move on with prosperity, to move on in improving our quality of life, to move on with protecting our families, to move on with making sure our island and community are safe. Because we know at the end of the day, what supports us with our quality of life is the rule of law.”
In his remarks, CNMI Gov. Arnold I. Palacios noted how both Guam and the CNMI look to the judiciary for the interpretation of federal laws as they apply to both jurisdictions.
“We look to the judicial branch to interpret the laws of the Commonwealth as well as the laws consistent with the law of our nation. As part of the American family, we are a nation of the rule of law. Every citizen in the Commonwealth and Territory of Guam looks to its judiciary … to provide a judicious interpretation of the law that we all live by.”
Also participating in the ceremony were CNMI Senate President Dennis C. Mendiola, House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, Justice John A. Manglona, Justice Perry B. Inos, Judge Kenneth L. Govendo, and Judge Lillian A. Tenorio.
Also appearing virtually from Guam were its Lt. Gov. Joshua F. Tenorio, Speaker Frank F. Blas Jr., Attorney General Douglas B. Moylan, members of the island’s 38th Legislature and judiciary officials.
The officials of the CNMI’s three branches of government pose for a photo with judiciary personnel on Thursday.
Photo by Bryan Manabat
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and CNMI Chief Justice Alexandro Castro in the CNMI Supreme Court courtroom on Thursday morning for the joint CNMI-Guam 2025 Law Week proclamation signing ceremony.
Photo by Bryan Manabat
