District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands

Northern Mariana Islands
Ninth Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 1
Judges: 1
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Ramona V. Manglona
Active judges: Heather L. Kennedy, Ramona V. Manglona

The District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands is a federal court that has jurisdiction over the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It was established by an act of Congress in 1977. The court began hearing cases in January 1978. Appeals of the court's decisions are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

The court has the same jurisdiction as the United States district courts, including diversity jurisdiction and bankruptcy jurisdiction. While the court is named a "district court," it is not an Article III court; it was created in accordance with the power granted under Article IV of the United States Constitution.

The judge of the District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands is an Article IV federal judge who is appointed to a 10-year term, which is renewable. Judges of this court are appointed by the president and subject to Senate confirmation. Judges may serve more than one term, subject to the standard nominating process.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are no vacancies on the United States District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. The court has one judicial position.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article IV judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Ramona V. Manglona	Joe Biden (D)	April 22, 2024 -	University of California, Berkeley, 1990	University of New Mexico School of Law, 1996

Senior judges

There are no judges matching these criteria.

Magistrate judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Heather L. Kennedy

Jurisdiction

The Northern Mariana Islands (click for larger map)

The District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law as well as bankruptcy cases.

The jurisdiction of the district court for the Northern Mariana Islands includes all of the Mariana Islands except for Guam, which has its own district court. The only courthouse is located on the Island of Saipan. Decisions of the court are appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals at the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse in San Francisco, California.

Caseloads

Year Cases filed Cases terminated 2007 84 66 2008 78 67 2009 75 71 2010 66 53 2011 63 43 2012 91 61 2013 58 79 2014 77 81

Average time from filing to disposition Year Criminal cases Civil cases 2007 4.5 10.3 2008 5.2 14.0 2009 6.5 9.2 2010 5.9 9.7 2011 7.7 12.5 2012 9.9 17.1 2013 10.9 27.6 2014 10.1 15.1

Federal Court Caseload Statistics*
Year	Starting case load:	Cases filed:	Total cases:	Cases terminated:	Remaining cases:	Median time (Criminal)**:	Median time (Civil)**:	Three-year civil cases:	Vacant posts:	Trials/Post
2014	109	77	186	81	105	10.1	15.1	19 (31.7%)	0	12
2013	147	58	205	79	126	10.9	27.6	22 (28.9%)	0	9
2012	121	91	212	61	151	9.9	17.1	29 (35.4%)	0.0	18
2011	109	63	172	43	129	7.7	12.5	18 (23.7%)	9.8	8
2010	98	66	164	53	111	5.9	9.7	14 (18.7%)	7.0	5
2009	94	75	169	71	98	6.5	9.2	5 (7.0%)	0.0	4
2008	83	78	161	67	94	5.2	14.0	2 (3.2%)	0.0	3
2007	82	84	166	66	100	4.5	10.3	1 (1.8%)	0.0	9
*All statistics are taken from the Official Federal Courts' Website and reflect the calendar year through September. **Time in months from filing to completion.

History

The court was established in 1977 by U.S. Code 90 Stat. 263 and heard its first cases in January 1978. Judges were originally appointed for eight-year terms, but an amendment in 1984 changed the term length to ten years.

Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.

In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.

On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.

Alex Munson - (1988-2010) Alfred Laureta - (1978-1988)

Former judges

For more information about the judges of the Northern Mariana Islands, see former federal judges of the Northern Mariana Islands.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit

External links

• United States District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, "Home," accessed December 3, 2013

Footnotes

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