Demapan to be conferred honorary degree by UoG

Chief Justice Miguel S. Demapan of the CNMI Supreme Court has been selected by the University of Guam Board of Regents to receive an honorary doctoral degree from the university.

He will receive the degree as part of the university’s spring commencement ceremonies, which will be held on Sunday, May 29, at 2pm in the University’s Field House.

“I am deeply touched and honored to receive this honorary doctoral degree from the University of Guam. It is something I truly was not expecting,” said Demapan. “This honorary degree is a tribute and recognition for all the good things we in the Judiciary of the Commonwealth are doing to benefit our children such as our Judges in the Classroom Program, our Ta Fan Eskuela Program, the Justice Teaching Institute, and our Pre-Law Program. Without the justices, judges and staff these programs would not be possible.”

In the Judges in the Classroom Program, justices, judges, and law clerks visit public and private schools to talk about the Judiciary, law training, or other issues that are of interest to the students and the teachers. This month the program reached out to over 1,300 students on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to discuss the importance of juries in the legal system.

The Ta Fan Eskuela Program provides children in need with necessary school supplies. This is made possible by the generosity of judges, justices, attorneys, and the Judiciary staff.

The Justice Teaching Institute is a program where high school teachers are educated by justices, judges, and law clerks to teach them civics and emphasize the role of the third branch of government. The teachers then spread this knowledge and enlighten their students by bringing it into their classrooms.

In the Pre-Law Program, professors from the United States are brought in to teach first year law courses and help prepare law school applicants from the CNMI to successfully matriculate and graduate from law schools. Out of five summer pre-law programs, 24 participants in the program have graduated from law school. Of these 24 law school graduates, 23 have returned to the CNMI.

In addition to his duties as the Chief Justice of the CNMI Supreme Court, Demapan sits on the Guam Supreme Court at times as a justice pro tempore when a Guam Supreme Court Justice is recused from a case. “I have enjoyed working with my fellow members of the Judiciary in Guam. I also appreciate it when they return the favor and serve as panel members for our cases in the CNMI when needed,” he said.

“For years, the CNMI and Guam have become close neighbors out here in the vast waters of the Pacific,” Demapan added. “This honorary degree is just another example of the strong bond and unity between the people of our islands.” (PR)