GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres on Friday said he supports the renomination of District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, 54, to serve another 10-year term on the federal bench.
“I already asked our counsel to start working on a letter of support,” he said.
For his part, Rep. Angel Demapan has introduced House Resolution 22-8 encouraging the governor and U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan to recommend to President Joseph Biden Jr. to renominate Judge Manglona.
The resolution also recognizes Judge Manglona for her reputable career.
According to the resolution, Judge Manglona continues to dedicate and commit herself to upholding the U.S. Constitution; the highest standards of legal competence; ethical conduct; and the rule of law, “making her eminently qualified to earn the renomination.”
The judge “embodies all of the characteristics of a true dignitary, such as intelligence, humility, and commitment, with a vision that made it possible for her to make an immeasurable difference in the CNMI community,” the resolution stated.
In 2011, Judge Manglona became the first person from the CNMI to be appointed as a federal judge.
She is also the first female and first Chamorro judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
In August of last year, she was one of 19 women from the U.S. territories recognized as the USA Today Network’s “Women of the Century” for making significant contributions to their communities.
She was preceded by Chief Judge Alex R. Munson, who served for over 20 years.
A former CNMI assistant attorney general, Judge Manglona was an associate judge of the CNMI Superior Court for eight years when President Barack Obama, upon the recommendation of Congressman Sablan, nominated her to serve as federal judge.
She obtained her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990, and her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1996.
The U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination in July 2011. Her term will expire this July.
Ramona V. Manglona
