A new courtroom on Rota

By Miguel S. Demapan

The following is the speech delivered by CNMI Supreme Court Chief Justice Miguel Demapan at the Rota Judicial Center’s ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday morning on Rota.

Good morning.

Let me thank you for the warm and gracious introductions of our distinguished guests from this beautiful island of Rota and those of us who made this trip from Saipan and Tinian [are] anxious and excited to be partners and to serve as witnesses on this historic day. My special si yu’us ma’ase to Chief Justice Phil Carbullido also of the Supreme Court of Guam and the delegation of justices and judges he is leading this morning. A warm welcome to our long time friend on the bench and now legislator in the Guam Legislature, retired Chief Justice B.J. Cruz. To all of you, friends and families who have taken time and away from your busy schedules just to be with us today, thank you for being here and for your continued support of the needs and projects of our Judiciary.

Over five years ago during one of our meetings with the justices, I brought up the idea of a permanent home for the judiciary here on Rota. There was no permanent place to call home. We have been moving from one place to another, like one of those homeless people that we see in big cities. We do not know when to be called and be told where to be sent next. It was a lesson in humility. We have a court deciding land cases, child custody and criminal cases but, to make things worse, it holds sessions in someone’s land. We thought at that time that this is not right and we must do our best to find a permanent home.

A decision was made to test the idea of building a courthouse. Although the three of us in the Supreme Court and the judges in the Superior Court were involved in the process, I assigned Justice Manglona the most difficult task of feeling out the sentiment of the leadership in seeking out funding and a good location for our Rota courthouse. He approached then Sen. Ed Maratita who brought the idea up to the Rota legislative delegation at that time and the Mayor of Rota. The idea was overwhelmingly received. The mayor and the legislative delegation realized the importance of a strong judicial presence in their community. They realized that foreign investment and economic development always cry out for a stable justice system where rights are protected and a reliable forum for investors is readily available. The Rota leaders are cognizant of the fact that a strong economy will need a fair and stable legal institution to harness the benefits of change while avoiding the social, political and economic pitfalls associated with uncontrolled growth. The presence of a strong and stable legal institution within the community of Rota will definitely provide a sound foundation for social and economic progress. Having this great institution in our midst will ensure that the laws will remain relevant to our community.

Ladies and gentlemen, today we have a courthouse. A modern state-of-the-art courthouse. A product, also, of the hard work of your sons and daughters in the Judicial Branch. To meet the demands of a growing community and the long-term visions of the court, the new courthouse will consolidate the courts and support services under one roof. The new courthouse will address such deficiencies as overcrowding, a shortage of courtrooms during jury trials, disjointed traffic and paper flow, illogical deployment of space, compromised security, and other issues.

The design presents the opportunity to enhance the surrounding exterior area, creating a civic place, where before there was none, and a dignified building. The architectural direction has been conceived to express the civic purpose through thoughtful use of space, height and minimal maintenance materials. The interior responds to the serenity of a courtroom setup with unobstructed lines of sight from anywhere in the courtroom.

We are here today to celebrate and for me to give thanks. All over the Commonwealth today, I say thanks to our Legislature, the Rota Legislative Delegation, Rota Mayor Manglona, the executive director and the board of directors of Marianas Public Lands Authority, the Rota Municipal Council, Gov. Juan N. Babauta, the Secretary of Public Works, the U.S. Department of Interior, and others who care deeply about the needs of the Commonwealth Judiciary. The result is clear. By joining hands and working together with our leaders we can give the Judicial Branch a permanent home in the Municipality of Rota; a building that truly reflects the democratic spirit of our people.

Let me say this that in today’s world, we speak of how the world is getting smaller, live television [programs] of events happening thousands of miles away, financial market news being received right now and the effect of the intensity of global competition directly from major work places like China and India played out live from our televisions. Yet, as we speak about the most up-to-date world events, we continue to hold court sessions in the most outdated courtroom in the Commonwealth.

Today, ladies and gentlemen, that courtroom door must close behind us and a new door will open here in Sinapalo Village. We hope that when it opens, it will be a door where we will all find peace and tranquility. I hope it will be a door that will lead to hope, goodwill and the spirit of a united people living in a beautiful island. But, at the same time, I can assure you that those people who enter this door with bitterness and contempt will be met with the full force of reason and the rule of law that we swore to uphold.

Our departure from Songsong to Sinapalo is an historic opportunity for a better future for our people here in the Commonwealth, and in particular, Luta.

Thank you and Si Yuus Maase.