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
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
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.
Pangelinan v. Pangelinan
2021-SCC-0020-CIV
Secundina Untalan Pangelinan and Selina Marie Pangelinan sued John Sablan Pangelinan for abuse of process and tortious interference with contract due to his conduct in a probate case. John countersued to quiet title. The Superior Court ruled for Secundina and Selina. John now appeals to the Supreme Court.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands v. Shabgua Zhang (aka Shan Guo Zhang)
2022-SCC-0004-CRM
Pro se Defendant-Appellant Shabgua Zhang (“Zhang”) is appealing his criminal conviction and sentencing for vandalism.
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