By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
ATTORNEY Robert T. Torres sharply rejected Attorney General Edward Manibusan’s criticism of Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho’s nomination as presiding judge, calling the objections “patently offensive to the rule of law” as senators prepare for a second round of public hearings on judicial nominees.
Gov. David M. Apatang’s three nominees for key positions in the CNMI Judiciary will appear again before the Senate Executive Appointments and Government Investigations Committee during a public hearing at the Tinian Courthouse on March 26. The committee previously held hearings on Rota on March 19 and is scheduled to convene a hearing on Saipan on April 1.
Apatang has nominated Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja to serve as associate justice of the CNMI Supreme Court; Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho to succeed Naraja as presiding judge of the Superior Court; and former attorney general and former Tinian mayor Joey Patrick San Nicolas to fill the resulting associate judge vacancy.
In a March 25 letter to the committee chairman, Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz, Torres said he “registers great concern and disagreement” with Manibusan’s letter opposing Camacho. He wrote that the attorney general’s claim that Camacho lacks the legal acumen to serve as presiding judge is based on a “selected listing of cases” and reflects a misunderstanding of the office’s role in government.
“The Office of the Attorney General is not a fourth branch of government,” Torres wrote, adding that Apatang has already expressed confidence in Camacho with the support of executive branch agencies.
Torres noted that no agency has objected to the nomination “except the very agency that has been held accountable and which the Superior Court has acted to protect our citizens’ constitutional rights.”
Torres, a CNMI Bar member since 1996, defended Camacho’s judicial temperament and administrative capability, describing him as “deliberate, attentive, and patient with all parties.” He said Camacho has demonstrated the balance, decisiveness, and fairness required of a presiding judge, particularly in complex probate, civil, and criminal matters.
A significant portion of Torres’ letter focused on Commonwealth v. Onopey, a case in which he served as court-appointed defense counsel. Torres said the attorney general’s office sought dismissal without prejudice despite the complaining witness’s statements that the sexual contact was consensual.
“They just wanted to keep the case open,” he wrote, adding that Camacho acted appropriately in scrutinizing the government’s request.
Torres said the attorney general’s opposition to Camacho’s nomination appears retaliatory, asserting that the Superior Court had “acted to protect our citizens’ constitutional rights” in cases where the office was held accountable.
“Nothing could be more patently offensive to the rule of law,” he wrote.
With the Senate committee set to continue hearings on Tinian and Saipan, Torres urged lawmakers to confirm Camacho swiftly.
“He applies the law to the facts and renders a decision, without regard to which party has more power,” Torres said.
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.
