Judges Govendo, Bogdan are retiring
CNMI Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro and Superior Court Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja informed Gov. Arnold I. Palacios yesterday that associate judges Kenneth L. Govendo and Wesley M. Bogdan will be retiring soon.
In joint letter to Palacios, Castro and Naraja said that Bogdan and Govendo will be retiring in December 2023 and June 2024, respectively.
“As their departures approach, we wish to respectfully request your timely consideration in nominating suitable candidates to fill these esteemed positions,” Castro and Naraja told the governor.
A judge’s term is six years.
In the November 2020 general election, then-75-year-old Govendo won his third six-year term as a presiding judge, making him the oldest judge to sit on the CNMI bench. He is 78 years old now.
Then-governor Juan N. Babauta appointed Govendo as an associate judge in 2003. Voters overwhelmingly voted for his retention in 2007, 2014, and 2020.
In the November 2022 general election, majority voted for Bogdan’s retention on the bench as an associate judge.
Bogdan became a judge in November 2017 after then-governor Ralph DLG Torres appointed him to the bench.
Immediately prior to his nomination, Bogdan worked as legal counsel and senior policy adviser to both the Office of the Lt. Governor and Office of the Governor during Gov. Eloy S. Inos and Torres’ administrations.
Wesley M. Bogdan
Kenneth Govendo
