Saipan, CNMI – In In re Commonwealth, the Supreme Court reversed the Superior Court’s order sanctioning Keith Chambers II (“Chambers”) and James Robert Kingman (“Kingman”) because it had not provided them any notice and opportunity to be heard before it imposed sanctions. The Supreme Court also clarified the standards for when bad faith was required for actions taken in the normal course of litigation. Chambers and Kingman were attorneys on opposing sides of a criminal case.

On October 30, 2026, the Supreme Court issued Order No. 2026-ADM-0037-MSC, “In Re Judiciary’s Year-End Holiday Schedule and Hours of Operation.” Accordingly, the Judiciary shall have the following closures and limited operating schedule from November 3, 2026, through January 1, 2027: For court information, please visit the Judiciary’s website at www.NMIJudiciary.gov. For additional information or inquiries, contact: Judy T. Aldan, Esq. Clerk of Court, Supreme Court Telephone:

Saipan, CNMI – Court leaders from all 50 states and U.S. territories came together at the Safer Courts Initiative led by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) in Atlanta, Georgia on October 25-27, 2026, to strengthen the safety and security of courts across the nation. Justice John A. Manglona led the Commonwealth Judiciary delegation, which included Director of Courts Sonia A. Camacho, General Counsel Matthew Brown and Deputy Marshal Roemar Segotier. They joined nearly

Saipan, CNMI – The Supreme Court will hold an oral argument at Saipan International School at 10:00 a.m. on November 5, 2026. The Judiciary regularly holds oral arguments at local schools as part of its community outreach efforts. Combined with the Judiciary’s High School Moot Court program where students step into the role of attorney themselves in a simulated oral argument, both outreach programs provide students a better understanding of the legal system and the appellate

Saipan, CNMI — Associate Judge Joey P. San Nicolas successfully completed the National Computer Forensics Institute’s (“NCFI”) “Digital Evidence for Judges” course hosted in Alabama from October 12-16, 2026. The course provided an overview of digital evidence in criminal cases, including evidence from mobile devices, cloud-based services, and other digital sources. Topics included cybercrime, computer forensics, computer hardware, data concepts, search and seizure of digital

Saipan, CNMI — On October 9, 2026, the Northern Mariana Islands Judiciary held an Attorney Admissions Ceremony for Molly Kay Dennert and Brianna Concepcion Hunter, who both passed the July 2026 CNMI Bar Exam. Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro admitted both successful applicants to the CNMI Bar. Molly Kay Dennert graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa, and she obtained her Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School. Molly previously served as a