15 kids join district court community outreach

Fifteen children of district court and federal agency employees visited the U.S. District Court yesterday for its first community outreach in celebration of Law Day.

The children, from eight different public and private schools on Saipan, participated in the NMI District Court’s first ever “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work” Day. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the program.

The children met with U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and NMI Alicia A.G. Limtiaco, and other people who work in these government agencies.

The district court highlighted yesterday’s Law Day event with a naturalization ceremony, during which Manglona welcomed the five newest U.S. citizens to the American family. The students witnessed the special event.

Later that day, the district court hosted a Junior High School Mock Trial competition featuring a prosecution team and defense team from Hopwood Junior High School.

Chief Judge Frances M. Tydingco-Gatewood of the District Court of Guam presided over the mock trial via videoconference in Guam. Students of Agueda Johnston Middle School joined Tydingco-Gatewood in Guam, serving as jurors.

Celebrating Law Day and “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” jointly this year highlights the people behind the federal agencies whose work keep the federal court open, Manglona said.

This year, the American Bar Association’s Law Day theme, “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom,” underscores the importance of the courts and their role in ensuring access to justice for all Americans, she added.

“Open and accessible courts are the cornerstone of a free society. The framers of our Constitution recognized the importance of the courts when they made the judiciary one of the three coequal branches of our government,” Manglona said.

Michelle Macaranas, the district court’s financial administrator, said the students enjoyed the daylong “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” She said the children talked with Manglona and spoke with other people from different federal agencies.

“The kids were asking a lot of questions with DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] officers,” she said.

Macaranas brought her 13-year-old son Devin and 8-year-old son Tyler.