Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo in chambers.
AFTER 20 years on the Superior Court bench, Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo said he wants to enjoy retirement while he can.
He is officially retiring on June 20, 2024, which will also mark his 21st anniversary as a judge.
In an interview, the 78-year-old judge said he will neither return to practicing law nor accept any judge pro tempore appointment.
“I might try to teach personal law at Northern Marianas College, which I did when I was their legal counsel, and I’ve talked to the NMC president about that, but nothing specific has been worked out at this time,” he said.
“I plan on just reading a lot and I’m not worried about being occupied — I’ve got a lot of books that I want to read that I’ve been putting off for years. Other than that, I’ll continue to follow what’s going on in the CNMI. I will possibly start on a series of Friday’s letter to the editor to Marianas Variety, commenting on stuff that’s going on. I really missed doing that over the last 20 some years,” Judge Govendo added.
“Thanks to Zaldy Dandan, MV’s editor — he has always given me leeway to write whatever I want. Even in the letters, I used to write in the bottom a suggested title, and he always followed that, so I’ve got a good relationship with Zaldy and I’m hoping to continue doing that,” he added.
As a judge, Govendo said he enjoys doing family court. “At the end of the day if I could keep some woman from getting beaten up or get her child support, I feel like I was accomplishing something on a day-to-day basis. I don’t feel that way about traffic court or about handling heavy duty civil litigation.”
He said he would like to see some stronger penalties for people who drive without a driver’s license.
“I would like to see a mandatory three-day jail time if an individual got caught driving without a driver’s license because we’ve got a lot of people getting caught driving without licenses,” he added.
As for domestic violence cases, Judge Govendo said: “There should be for people that are convicted of domestic violence…some jail time, not a slap on the wrist. We see that all the time, so I don’t know. Is it because the perpetrators are using crystal meth, which sometimes is definitely responsible for [such incidents]? It’s time to send a message that you can’t get away with that.”
He said there is also a need to make an arrangement for property disposition while still alive.
“The other thing I would emphasize is for local people to deal with their property when you’re still alive. You don’t let the children decide, the brothers and the sisters and all that stuff. You know you can do that by either getting rid of the property while you’re alive and making deeds or writing a will. I mean think about it. We don’t see a lot of wills made here. But this is one of the better English-American customs. It’s doing it correctly with an attorney and maybe two or three witnesses and you basically dispose of your property after you’re underground, and if it’s done right it has to be followed, rather than letting the family fight about it because these family fights are still going on and it becomes…violent, too, sometimes.”
Govendo was appointed judge in 2003 by then-Gov. Juan N. Babauta, and was retained by voters in 2007, 2014 and 2020, when his retention received 80% of the total ballots cast.
His current term ends on June 19, 2027. He has started recusing himself from cases that will go beyond June 2024, Variety learned.
Born in Syracuse, New York on Jan. 28, 1945, Govendo obtained his bachelor of arts degree in political science from Alfred University in Alfred, New York in 1966, and his juris doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1969.
Married to Domitilia Camacho Govendo, he has been a resident of the Northern Marianas since 1976 and had been in private practice for the most part.
