Hafa adai and Tirow!
Current Cases on Appeal
The Supreme Court is the court of last resort with the authority to affirm, modify, vacate, set aside or reverse a Superior Court judgment, order or decree. 1 CMC § 3103. Preview the cases pending before the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Law Clerk
Supreme Court law clerks research case law, prepare memoranda, draft orders and opinions, and perform other administrative duties under the direction of a justice. They also assist with community outreach programs. (Click above tab for available clerkship.)
National Center for State Court Statistics Project
The National Center for State Courts annually compiles the Court Statistics Project that gives judges and court administrators a national perspective on court operations. Click on the tab above for the most recent information submitted to the NCSC, CSP or view it on the NCSC website at www.ncsc.org
Proposed Court Rules
Court rules are periodically revised by committees that are chaired by a Supreme Court justice or a Superior Court judge. See which rules are currently being revised. Comments and feedback are welcome and can be forwarded to the Supreme Court at Supreme.Court@NMIJudiciary.com before April 1, 2022.
Pursuant to 1 CMC § 311, the following legal holidays are observed in the Commonwealth for the calendar year of 2022. >>See More
Oral arguments before the Supreme Court are held quarterly and are open to the public. Click on the icon above to see the oral argument calendar. >> See more
All appellate filings are electronically filed and served through File & ServeXpress which can be accessed by clicking the icon above. >> See more
Clerk of the Supreme Court
Judy T. Aldan assumed her duty as Clerk of Court for the NMI Supreme Court on November 2020.
Prior to joining the Judiciary, she was a staff attorney with the CNMI Law Revision, and an attorney with Torres Brothers, LLC. For several years, she served as the Criminal Justice Program Coordinator and Instructor at Northern Marianas College. She also taught leadership at Keystone Leadership Training Center in Bundang-Gu, South Korea.
Mrs. Aldan received her Juris Doctorate degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and her undergraduate degree from Boise State University. She returned home after completing her studies and joined the CNMI Bar in 2008.
The Deputy Clerk of the Supreme Court is Nora V. Borja, who has been with the Judiciary for over 25 years. Mrs. Borja served the former Chief Justice, Miguel Demapan, as his Judicial Assistant before joining the Office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court in 2012. She is also the Bar Administrator.
Deputy Clerk of Court
TABLE 1: Types of Cases Filed, Decided and Pending
TABLE 2: Manners of Disposition
TABLE 3: Outcome of Cases Decided on the Merits
In the Matter of Stephen C. Woodruff
Supreme Court No. 2021-SCC-0001-PET
The Supreme Court conditionally granted Stephen C. Woodruff’s petition for reinstatement to be a barred attorney. The condition will be lifted September 30, 2022.
Antonio v. Baek
Supreme Court No. 2021-SCC-0006-CIV
Habos and her baby sued for injuries they sustained in a rear-end car collision caused by Baek. The Superior Court declined to award Habos damages for pain and suffering, loss of earnings, and diminished quality of life. The Superior Court also denied the baby any award of damages. Habos and her baby appeal.
Commonwealth v. Kaipat
Supreme Court No. 2021-SCC-0016-CRM
After Kaipat claimed to be a victim of a violent assault, police took two DNA samples from him. Kaipat was arrested after DNA analysis suggested he could have committed a crime himself. The Superior Court partially granted Kaipat’s motion to suppress the DNA evidence, finding that he did not consent to the second DNA sample taking. The Commonwealth now appeals.
Available positions:
Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro
Fall 2022
Associate Justice John A. Manglona
Recruitment for the positions begin a year before the position is available. For more information, contact Judy T. Aldan, Clerk of Court for the Supreme Court at Supreme.Court@NMIJudiciary.com