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Legislature’s OK sought in proposed NMI Rules of Guardianship Procedure
Alexandro C. Castro
CNMI Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro has sought the Legislature’s approval of the Judiciary’s proposed Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Guardianship Procedure.
Castro said the proposed rules provide the procedures governing appointment of guardians for minors and persons whose interests require guardianship due to insanity or incompetence.
The chief justice submitted the proposed rules to Senate President Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan) and House of Representatives Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) last Monday. The Senate and House received it last Tuesday.
The proposed Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Guardianship Procedures will become effective 60 days after submission to the Legislature, unless disapproved by a majority of the members of either Senate or House.
Castro said the guardianship procedure was previously addressed in the Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Probate Procedure, but delineating guardianship in a standalone set of rules will assist families, attorneys, and pro se litigants in understanding and acting upon their rights and obligations in this area of law.
Pro se litigants refer to parties representing themselves in court without the assistance of an attorney.
The chief justice said members of the CNMI Bar Association and the Judiciary’s Family Court Division had the opportunity to comment and propose recommendations to these rules before finalization by the CNMI Supreme Court.
