CNMI Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro swore in the newest member of the local bar, Rellani Bennett Ogumoro, at the Carolinian Utt on April 29, 2022.
Also present at her swearing-in were Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja, Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo, Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio, Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho, and Associate Judge Wesley Bogdan.
Ogumoro is the daughter of Joaquin and Lauri Ogumoro. Born in Honolulu, Rellani Ogumoro was raised on Saipan and is a graduate of Kagman High School.
She went to college at Eastern Oregon University where she graduated summa cum laude. At the university, Ogumoro was nationally recognized as a Truman Scholar for her dedication to public service.
After college, she spent five years in Washington, D.C. where she worked for the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior, and for the special assistant to the president on Native American Affairs during the Obama administration.
After seeing the impact of native attorneys at the highest levels of government, Rellani Ogumoro decided to pursue a law degree to become a better advocate for indigenous communities.
In law school, she worked for two different Native American tribes and spent a summer with the Native American Rights Fund at its Alaska office.
She presented on the political relationship between the U.S. and the CNMI in a lecture, and helped file a United Nations complaint against the U.S. government on behalf of tribes affected by climate change.
Rellani Ogumoro earned her law degree from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in 2020. She graduated with an Indian Law Certificate, the Highest Pro Bono Distinction, and was the recipient of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award which recognizes outstanding students in trial advocacy and clinical work.
Since graduating from law school, Rellani Ogumoro has been employed as a law clerk for Judge Govendo. “It is a privilege to sit for the NMI bar exam,” she said. “And it was a truly humbling experience. I do not know where the stars may guide me, but I know I will use my legal education and the values of my upbringing to serve our community to the best of my abilities. I look forward to the work ahead.”
Attorney Rellani Ogumoro, center, poses for a photo with Judge Joseph N. Camacho, Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja, Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio, Judge Wesley Bogdan, Judge Kenneth L. Govendo, and Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro.
