A bittersweet goodbye to the old building

Clerk of Court Jovita Flores enjoys the comfort of her new office, which is about three times bigger than the one at the old Civic Center in Susupe. There’s more room for her and her co-employees to move around. Plus, they don’t have to worry about where to put all the papers and court documents that have piled up over the years.

Starting today, the Superior Court has a new home. All judicial operations, including court hearings, will be done at the new Guma Husticia building in Susupe, which is located right across the old Civic Center.

The multi-million dollar building is huge, cool, and comfortable. It has a vast lobby that quite resembles a park. It can boast of its “first-world” ambiance. A metal detector is installed at the entrance to insure security within the building. It has five big courtrooms on the second floor, where the judges will also be holding offices.

The new building is designed to house all offices under the judiciary including the Superior Court, Supreme Court, the Law Revision Commission, the Family Court, and the Court Marshall. The Commonwealth Recorder and the Law Library, however, will remain in the old complex.

“The Superior Court was supposed to have moved last week, but our transfer was delayed because it was found that the fire alarm system was damaged,” Flores said. “Hopefully , after the testing, the alarm system would work, and all operations would go smooth by Monday.”

Memories from the old building

Amid the excitement of moving to their new offices, Superior Court Presiding Judge Edward Manibusan and Associate Judge Timothy Bellas are quite emotional about leaving the old building, which has been a witness to the progress of their respective legal careers.

“Many things have happened in this old building since it was built in 1970. This building has gone through different transformations,” recalled Manibusan, who has been a judge for six years and has been part of the CNMI’s legal landscape for a total of 18 years.

“We’re in a bittersweet situation. We are happy that we are moving to a new building. It’ll be good not only for the judges and employees but also for the public. At the same time, we are sad that we are leaving this building, where I took my oath as judge. Those kinds of milestone in our career as judge or lawyer all happened in this building,” Bellas said.

The old complex, which has been a site for human drama, has also been a witness to changes in the lives. of many residents of the CNMI.

“A lot of people have been married and divorced here; and prosecuted for criminal offenses. It’s just amazing how almost every person in the commonwealth in one small way was affected by one function of the Superior Court,” Bellas said.

Nevertheless, the new building may be worth giving up one’s sentimental recollections about the old judicial complex.

“In this old building, people sit under the heat of the sun; they are sweaty. When it’s raining, they get wet. In the new building, they will be inside an air-conditioned facility,” Bellas said.

With new facilities, Manibusan and Bellas also expect the court operations to go faster and more efficient.

“Since there are more courtrooms capable of jury trial, court cases can be solved more expeditiously and people would be much more accommodated,” Manibusan said.

A change of home should come with a better attitude among the court staff, said Manibusan who issued last week a memorandum implementing a dress code among employees.

Manibusan said, “The dress code has been in effect for several months now. But, finally, with a new building, our employees should start changing the way they look. We are professionals; we should have the appearance of a professional. And we should act like professionals.”