Judges and lawyers in the classroom

CNMI students of all grade levels welcomed special visitors into their classrooms during the months of April and May. CNMI Superior Court judges, law clerks, members of the CNMI Bar Association, and staff of the U.S. District Court offered their time and the benefit of their experience to explore with the students the role of the courts in our society and the relationship between courts, justice, and freedom.

The Sinapalo Elementary School and the Rota junior and senior high schools participated on Rota, while elementary and high schools on Tinian enjoyed visits from the Judiciary. In total a thousand students, including those from many of Saipan’s elementary schools (Oleai, William S. Reyes, San Antonio, Garapan , Kagman) and students from ChaCha Oceanview Jr. High School, Marianas Baptist Academy, and Mount Carmel High School were exposed to the Law Week 2012 theme, “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom.”

To help explain to the young audiences what happens in a court and who the participants are, a child-friendly PowerPoint program was created through the collaborative efforts of acting chief justice Alexandro Castro, Presiding Judge Robert Naraja, deputy director of courts Sonia Camacho and law clerk Sean Smith.

The judges that participated in the nearly two months’ long community outreach program were CNMI Superior Court judges David Wiseman, Joseph Camacho, Kenneth Govendo, Perry Inos, and Presiding Judge Robert Naraja. Law clerks Daniel Bednarski, Pejman Kharrazian and Sean Smith, Clerk of Court Jennifer Dockter, Janet King, CNMI Bar Association president Sean Frink, and U.S. District Court law clerks Richard Miller and QuynhChi Nguyen also made significant contributions to the students’ educational experience.

Wiseman, speaking to senior students at Mount Carmel High School, emphasized the importance of the court system when he observed that the life of our community passes before us in the courtroom, and added philosophically, “For each of us, our thoughts control our reality.”

The CNMI Judiciary maintains a year-round resolve to broaden the understanding of the judicial process and the rule of law among students of all ages. Speaking engagements and guided tour requests of the Guma Hustisia from teachers and principals of public and private schools are welcome. Arrangements can be made by calling 236-9716. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]