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Superior Court acts on Rep. Sablan’s lawsuit
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Posted on Mar 03 2009
The Superior Court appears to have no problem with Rep. Tina E. Sablan’s request to give priority to her court action against Gov. Benigno R. Fitial over the federalization lawsuit’s funding issue.
Associate Judge David A. Wiseman yesterday issued an order setting a status conference for tomorrow, Thursday, at 1:30pm.
Wiseman ordered Sablan, Fitial and co-defendants Finance Secretary Eloy Inos and acting Attorney General Gregory Baka or their representatives to appear at the status conference.
A status conference is a meeting with a judge where normally the date of the trial is decided. At this hearing, the judge will determine how the case is proceeding, if any settlement negotiations are made, or other matters relevant to moving the case toward trial.
If a plaintiff or a plaintiff’s representative does not attend a status conference, the judge may dismiss the court action.
In her petition for mandamus, Sablan asked the court to give her lawsuit priority and set an immediate hearing.
Sablan filed the lawsuit on Friday to compel the Fitial administration to disclose where it is getting the money to fund the lawsuit against federalization.
The congresswoman asked the court to issue an order mandating Fitial, Inos, and Baka to fulfill their obligations under CNMI law by making available the requested materials within 48 hours of the court’s decision.
Sablan asserted that the refusal of the defendants to disclose records identifying funding sources and contracts connected to the lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of the CNMI people “is a violation of the Open Government Act.”
Press secretary Charles Reyes Jr. told Saipan Tribune that the administration is going to respond to the lawsuit in court.
