The Senate confirmed attorney Joseph James N. Camacho\u2019s nomination to become the newest associate judge at the CNMI Superior Court during a short session yesterday on Capital Hill.<\/p>\n
The former House floor leader and government prosecutor replaces Ramona V. Manglona, now chief judge of the District Court of the NMI, and joins current associate judges Perry Inos, Kenneth Govendo, and David Wiseman and Presiding Judge Robert Naraja on the Superior Court bench.<\/p>\n
Dressed in his usual white long sleeves, black trousers, and red tie, Camacho appeared calm and collected but nodded each time the eight senators present said \u201cyes\u201d to his confirmation.<\/p>\n
All eight senators\u2014Senate President Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota), Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian), floor leader Pete P. Reyes (R-Saipan), and Sens. Jovita M. Taimanao (Ind-Rota), Juan M. Ayuyu (Ind-Rota), Francisco Q. Cruz (R-Tinian), Henry H. San Nicolas (Cov-Tinian), and Ralph DL Torres (R-Saipan) all affirmed his confirmation. Sen. Luis P. Crisostimo (D-Saipan) was excused. <\/p>\n
The gallery, packed with Camacho\u2019s friends and family members, erupted in applause after Manglona announced Camacho\u2019s confirmation.<\/p>\n
Camacho, an alumnus of Gonzaga University School of Law and has a private law practice, said he will \u201cdo my very best and work hard to be a fair and impartial judge and carry out the intent of the law and make my rulings based on the law with understanding, temperance, and compassion.\u201d
\nCamacho said he is also aware of the recent epidemic of crime on Saipan and will do his part to find a solution. <\/p>\n
\u201cPart of the role of being a judge is to incarcerate those that have been rightly convicted after going through due process but at the same time we must temper our sentence to rehabilitate so that when they come out from the Department of Corrections they can be productive members of our community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The former police officer, who also worked as driver, bus boy, and pizza delivery boy in his youth, said his confirmation is a very special moment and the culmination of a very long process. <\/p>\n
\u201cLike I said during the hearing, they don\u2019t have a factory where you go and become a lawyer. Most people go to school. I worked to go to college. I worked when I was in law school and I hope I can bring some of that experience and share that [at the Superior Court]\u2026I\u2019ve been a police officer and a prosecutor so it was my job to bring people to jail. I\u2019ve also been a defense counsel so it was also my job to bring people out of jail. Having the ability to see a case from both sides gives me an ability to be fair and be more understanding,\u201d said Camacho.<\/p>\n
Fitial thanked the Senate for their confirmation of Camacho and said that he always had faith in his nephew.<\/p>\n
\u201cI nominated him because of temperament. I\u2019ve noticed him since he came back when he graduated and got his law degree and he started working\u2026he seems to always engage his brain before his mouth. That\u2019s what I like about him. He\u2019s very fair and I think he will continue espousing that great asset of being fair,\u201d said Fitial. <\/p>\n
The islands\u2019 chief executive said Camacho\u2019s ascension to the Superior Court bench couldn\u2019t have come at a better time since it has been backlogged with cases ever since Ramona V. Manglona was elevated to the District Court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the first court trial and they have a lot of backlogged cases. A lot of times the court will defer to outside counsel because they don\u2019t have enough lawyers but I believe with the replacement of former judge Mona Manglona, the cases that have been backlogged in Superior Court will be resolved,\u201d said Fitial who sat beside Senate President Manglona throughout Camacho\u2019s confirmation. <\/p>\n
The new associate judge said he is thankful for Fitial\u2019s confidence and his nomination to the Superior Court and extended his appreciation to the Senate, especially to the Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations and its chairman, Sen. Cruz.<\/p>\n
He also thanked his wife, NMI Retirement Fund legal counsel Viola Alepuyo, and the rest of his family and supporters for encouraging him throughout the nomination process. <\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully some day I would like to aspire to become a fulltime farmer and part-time fisherman when the weather is good. But for the meantime, at least the next six years, with the blessing of God and support from family and friends I will do my best and work hard to be as fair a judge as I could be,\u201d said Camacho.<\/p>\n
Like yesterday, Camacho\u2019s confirmation hearing Thursday saw the Senate chamber packed by well-wishers, some of whom spoke about the latter\u2019s qualifications to become the next associate judge.<\/p>\n
NMI Retirement Fund executive director Richard Vilagomez said he supports Camacho\u2019s nomination because \u201cJoe has always been about the law. First as a police officer, then as a lawyer, and now he\u2019s being nominated to interpret the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herman R. Deleon Guerrero, a former senator, meanwhile, said he has known Camacho since he was little boy and asked the Senate to approve his nomination.<\/p>\n
Former attorney general Matthew Gregory, for his part, said he has never met a lawyer more enthused in taking part in trials than Camacho.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an experienced trial attorney and that is less common than you might think in the Commonwealth. He is somebody that goes to trial and enjoys trials, enjoys the process. Now when you become a judge you\u2019ll be in a lot of trials and this is a man who enjoys it and who\u2019s good at what he does, tailor-made to be a judge. He\u2019s a man who is passionate about the law and enjoys what he does,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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