Lillian Tenorio
A VAST majority of local attorneys support the nomination of Deputy Attorney General Lilian A. Tenorio to the Superior Court, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Northern Marianas Bar Association.
Of the 33 responders who submitted their evaluations, 28 are in support, four opposed and one neither supported nor opposed Tenorio’s judicial nomination. The survey closed on Jan. 22, 2024.
NMI Bar Association President Charity Hodson shared the survey results with the Senate on Tuesday, saying the evaluation was conducted according to the association’s “Resolution to Establish and Implement a Procedure for Evaluation of Judicial Nominees and Candidates for Judicial Retention.”
The main criteria in the evaluation are legal ability, integrity and impartiality, communication skills, and professionalism and temperament.
For these criteria, the responders scaled the nominee “good” and gave her average scores ranging from 4 to 4.3, with 5 being the highest on a scale of “excellent.”
‘Tough but fair’
For their part, Board of Education legal counsel Michael Ernest and private-practice attorney Viola Alepuyo submitted their own letters of support to Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero.
Ernest, who has been a CNMI resident since 2002, said he has known Tenorio and her legal work for many years and can attest to her character abilities.
He said when he first arrived on island to serve as a clerk for Associate Justice John A. Manglona, he became familiar with Tenorio’s research and writing abilities. Some of his first experiences with the nuances of law in the CNMI were from reading her work, he said.
He also said that he was able to witness Tenorio’s leadership as deputy attorney general. She was the classic “tough but fair” boss who expected the best from those she oversaw. She demanded that the attorneys were prepared and would not abide any “slacking,” Ernest said, The CNMI, he added, had benefited greatly from Tenorio’s guidance through many tough years.
Ernest said he has witnessed Tenorio’s legal, leadership and interpersonal skills for over 20 years in all three branches of the government and the private bar, “so I feel I am uniquely qualified to state that she will be an excellent judge of the Superior Court.”
He said if Tenorio performs with the same effort, character and judgment he has witnessed over the last 20 years or so, he has every confidence that she will be an outstanding judge and he wholeheartedly recommends her to the position.
An asset
Alepuyo said Tenorio’s legal experiences as Supreme Court clerk, legislative counsel, private practitioner and as deputy attorney general will make her an asset to the judiciary.
Alepuyo also noted that women are underrepresented in both the NMI Bar Association and the bench. To date, she said, there is only one female judge compared to the six male jurists in the CNMI judiciary.
“As a woman, daughter, sister and mother born and raised in the CNMI,” Alepuyo said Tenorio “will bring her attributes and perspectives to the bench. Her personal and professional experiences will add to the quality and diversity of the CNMI jurists.”
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios nominated Tenorio on Nov. 22, 2023. Her nomination remains pending in the Senate.
