The Legislative Bureau reshuffled attorneys assigned to both houses when the 17th Legislature was inaugurated early last month.
Antonio F. S. Cabrera, who used to be the senior legal counsel for the Senate, was moved to the House.
Cabrera is the first cousin of losing gubernatorial candidate former Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider of the Republican Party.
Antonette Villagomez, who used to be the chief counsel of the House, was moved to the Senate to join Ian Catlett as its co-counsel.
The House, which has 20 members, should have at least three counsels.
But only one lawyer, Joey San Nicolas, is currently serving the House.
Cabrera tendered his courtesy resignation on Jan. 19 to the leadership and members of the 17th House.
His last day of office was Jan. 22 and he went on a terminal leave ending on Feb. 22.
He has yet to hear from the LB since he submitted his courtesy resignation.
In an interview on Friday, Cabrera said politics may be preventing his return to the Legislature.
“There are just a lot of things that got in the way. My ideas were ignored because of political pressures in the Legislature,” he told the Variety.
Cabrera graduated from the New Mexico School of Law.
He returned to the CNMI after earning his law degree and worked as law clerk for the Superior Court.
He then moved to the House and worked as its legal counsel for 20 months before transferring to the Senate.
Cabrera said there were no consultations made before the LB made its decision to transfer him.