By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
FORMER head of the CNMI government’s anti-corruption task force James Robert Kingman has been sworn in as a practicing attorney in the Commonwealth and is preparing to open a private law practice after passing the CNMI Bar exam in July.
The CNMI Judiciary issued Kingman’s license to practice law on Jan. 7, 2026. He declined to provide additional details about his new practice or make a public statement following his swearing-in.
Kingman previously served as an assistant attorney general and was appointed in 2023 to lead the Office of the Attorney General’s anti-corruption task force. In that role, he oversaw investigations into alleged misuse of public funds, procurement violations, and other white-collar offenses. He also served as one of the lead prosecutors in the criminal cases filed against former Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.
During his tenure, Kingman became a prominent — and at times polarizing — figure in several high-profile government corruption cases. In public statements, he said he faced “baseless, bad-faith accusations” after arriving in the CNMI and maintained that his work was guided by the evidence and the law.
His role drew scrutiny in multiple court proceedings, including the contempt case involving the late businessman Shayne Villanueva. In a sharply worded order, Superior Court Judge Kenneth Govendo criticized Kingman’s conduct, calling him “a liability” and suggesting he should “go back to Texas.” Kingman disputed the characterization, saying the remarks were unfounded and did not reflect the record of the case.
Kingman was later disqualified — along with Chief Solicitor J. Robert Glass Jr. — from the Torres prosecution after the CNMI Supreme Court found a conflict of interest. The justices, however, reversed the broader disqualification of the entire Office of the Attorney General.
Before joining the CNMI government, Kingman worked as a prosecutor in Texas, handling felony cases involving fraud, financial crimes, and child exploitation. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Rhodes College.
With his bar admission finalized, Kingman is expected to begin private practice on Saipan, though no details regarding the scope or focus of his work have been disclosed.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
