Lillian Tenorio
SAYING that her impartiality might be questioned, Superior Court Judge Lillian A. Tenorio has disqualified herself from handling Attorney General Edward Manibusan’s lawsuit against the Tinian stablecoin law.
In an order of self-recusal on June 3, 2025, Judge Tenorio cited 1 CMC § 3308 (a), which states: “A justice or judge of the Commonwealth shall disqualify himself or herself in any proceeding in which his or her impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”
Before becoming a judge in 2024, Tenorio was the CNMI deputy attorney general from January 31, 2015, to February 19, 2024, serving under the first elected AG, Edward Manibusan.
In his official capacity, Manibusan has asked the Superior Court to declare Tinian Local Law 24-03 unconstitutional. The law authorized internet gambling on Tinian and the issuance of a digital currency known as the “Tinian Stable Token,” which was later rebranded as “Marianas USD.”
The AG sought injunctive relief to prevent the law from being enforced and named as defendants the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission, Maria Barbara Borja, in her official capacity as Tinian municipal treasurer, and Marianas Rai Corporation.
Citing the AG’s legal opinion, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios disapproved Senate Local Bill 24-1, but both houses of the Legislature overrode his veto and the measure became Tinian Local Law 24-03.
According to the AG’s complaint, the law exceeds the legislative authority of the Tinian and Aguiguan Legislative Delegation by regulating activities beyond the geographical scope of the Second Senatorial District.
The lawsuit also stated that the name change from Tinian Stable to Marianas USD shows that the local law has governing issues beyond the Second Senatorial District by labeling the coin as representative of the entire Marianas.
The lawsuit cited the potential harm to the legal integrity of Commonwealth-wide legislative authority and the economic impact of internet gaming and digital currency transactions extending beyond the Second Senatorial District.
According to the AG, the law “allows the purchase of coins from anywhere in the world, thus reaching beyond the boundaries of the Second Senatorial District.”
Furthermore, the AG stated, the Tinian Stable Token, “Marianas USD,” is created by Marianas Rai Corp. but is held by the Tinian Treasurer in the “Tinian Stable Token Reserve Account (TSTRA).” As the two entities must work closely and are intertwined, the actions of Marianas Rai Corp. in executing the law by the creation of the Marianas USD/Tinian Stable Token exceed the bounds of the Second Senatorial District, the AG added.
The AG wants the court to declare that the law violates both the CNMI and United States Constitutions by creating currency and involving the municipality in the issuance of virtual currency.
