“Today’s milestone is actually a collective achievement,” Manglona said, as she thanked all the people and institutions who pushed and supported her nomination to the federal bench.
“Without [President Obama’s] decision to give this Chamorro woman an opportunity to serve on the federal judiciary and to serve our great nation, together with the blessings and support of the United States Senate, today would not be possible,” she noted.
Manglona also assured everyone that “we enjoy the same high quality of technology, facilities, and services that we have come to expect from the federal courts in jurisdictions throughout the United States.”
She vowed to continue encouraging and supporting the commonwealth’s “talented young people to pursue a legal career.”
She will continue the annual Bench-Bar Conference that provides an opportunity for practicing attorneys , the judges and justices of all courts in the CNMI and the region “to exchange ideas that lead to improvement in the administration of justice.”
“The law is a noble profession. If, by my example as the chief judge of the District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands, I can help promote the value of the legal profession within our community and especially our youth, I will truly be blessed.”
Manglona was sworn in on Saturday in federal court during a ceremony witnessed by about 280 guests that included family members, friends, officials and representatives of the federal government, the CNMI administration, local legislators and the judiciary, judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, visiting judges who came while the federal court was in transition, and other justices and judges from the region.
Also present were Philippines consul general Medardo G. Macaraig, and Japan consul Tsutomu Higuchi.
Manglona thanked Circuit Judge Mary M. Schroeder, the guest of honor and administering officer, whom she described as “an inspiration and a wonderful guardian angel.”
Schroeder told Manglona: “The federal court in Saipan is the institution to which we look as the guardian of the Constitution and protector of the federal rights and freedom of the people of the Northern Marianas.”
In her speech, Manglona paid tribute to her mentors, the late CNMI Justice Ramon G. Villagomez, and former Dean Robert J. Desiderio of the University of New Mexico School of Law.
Gov. Benigno R Fitial said he recommended Manglona to the federal bench because “I found her to be judiciously fair and impartial in her court decisions.”
He added, “Her unblemished professional record and distinguished accomplishments was made even more evident by the vast support from the community.”
Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan said Manglona has the “intelligence and integrity” to become a federal judge.
Sablan recommended Manglona to Obama in 2009.
Savana and Dencio Manglona — the judge’s children — presented the scales of justice and gavel, as CNMI Supreme Court Associate Justice John A. Manglona, her husband, handed the judicial robe.
U.S. District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood noted that Manglona is the first woman and first Chamorro to be sworn in as federal chief judge of the CNMI.
Also in attendance were former Chief Judge Alex R. Munson, now based in Idaho; visiting Judge Mark W. Bennett of the Northern District of Iowa; senior Judge Consuelo B. Marshall of the Central District of California, and Guam Magistrate Judge Joaquin V.E. Manibusan Jr.
