Courts ration generator fuel by closing

Judges, jurors and attorneys at the CNMI Superior Court found themselves in the dark Thursday, as the court rations generator fuel due to a lack of funding.

Yesterday, the courthouse ran on the building’s generator for the duration of the morning due to a power outage, but the court is nearing the end of its fuel supply and has little money for more. The court closed and turned off the generator for a few hours to ration the fuel.

Judge David Wiseman said the problem has gotten worse in the past week. A jury trial he is presiding over has been interrupted three times because of the lack of fuel.

“The Judiciary’s budget never contemplated that there would be a need to use the generator so frequently to conduct the court’s business,” he said.

Wiseman said funding for the court cannot be compromised.

The interruptions are forcing Wiseman to change his court calendar, a task that can have many repercussions, he said.

“The court calendars are very difficult to change, and if the court is shut down during the time when a calendar is scheduled then there usually is no way to contact a defendant to appear for a new date,” he said. “Defendants can then leave and not come back without [Department of Public Safety] or Probation assistance.”

Wiseman said the court’s generator uses 50 gallons of fuel an hour. With diesel fuel around $5 per gallon, the court is spending approximately $250 an hour to keep the court up and running.

Wiseman said he is given a general idea of when the generator will be turned off each day.

“But it’s hard to fit a court hearing into a certain time,” he added.

A spokesman for the Superior Court could not be reached yesterday, but there are rumors that the court’s proceedings might be moved to the U.S. Federal Court.

Attorney Steve Pixley, who has been taking part in a jury trial since Monday at the Superior Court, said the power and generator power have been going out since the start of the trial.

“The other day we had to use our cell phones to see where we were going,” he said.

Pixley said the court was adjourned at 3pm Wednesday, when it typically goes to 4:30 or 5pm, due to a lack of generator fuel.

“It’s pretty frustrating,” he said. “Something needs to be done.”

Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Antonio Muna said the court shouldn’t have to be providing its own power in the first place.

“We want to provide 24-hour power,” he said. “We should be the only ones providing 24-hour power on a regular basis and not rely on a self generator.”