Under Senate Legislative Initiative 17-11, which must be ratified by voters after it is passed by the 3/4 vote of each house, will make the Superior Court consist of a presiding judge and at least three associate judges.
Currently, the CNMI Superior Court has four positions for associate judges one of which will be vacated by Judge Ramona V. Manglona who was appointed by President Obama to the federal bench.
In an interview on Friday, Senate President Manglona, Ind.-Rota said he does not propose to eliminate the seat of a current judge.
What he proposed will allow the governor not to nominate anyone for the vacant seat.
However, S.L.I. 17-11 will still allow the government to have four judges if found necessary in the future.
The CNMI chief justice gets $130,000 a year while an associate justice receives $126,000. A presiding judge earns $123,000 while a judge is paid $120,000.
The Senate president said the CNMI’s current economic condition can no longer afford five judges. Cutting their number, he added, will result in savings in terms of salaries and office expenditures.
The judiciary, moreover, handles a reduced number of cases now, the Senate president said.
Compared to 12,235 cases in 2000, the CNMI only had 5,630 cases in 2007 due to the declining population.
