Soll named AG

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday finally named Herbert D. Soll, a hearing officer at the Department of Labor and Immigration, as his nominee to the Attorney General, almost three weeks after the Superior Court ordered him to appoint a permanent AG.

Mr. Soll’s nomination was sent immediately to the Senate for its advice and consent as required under the Constitution, where it is expected to go through “thorough review,” according to a senator.

“It’s an honor to be selected by the governor,” said Mr. Soll when asked for comment, adding that he has known Mr. Tenorio from way back during the Trust Territory administration and had worked with him in the first Legislature.

The DOLI hearing officer pointed out that his appointment to the critical post and his respect for the governor had “forced me out of retirement.”

He also disclosed that he had learned about Mr. Tenorio’s selection of him to head the Attorney General’s Office last week.

When asked whether he is ready to face the Senate when it takes up his nomination, Mr. Soll, 63, said he would try “to the best of my ability.”

Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, a member of the powerful Executive Appointments and Governmental Investigations Committee, welcomed his nomination, but said his confirmation will still be under consideration.

“He is qualified, yes, but whether he can be confirmed is still a question. It’s not automatic that he gets our consent automatically,” he told in an interview.

Mr. Reyes, however, said the upper house will take action on his nomination on whether to reject or accept it, unlike its decision on Deputy Attorney General Maya B. Kara, whose nomination they asked the governor to recall.

“There will be no shortcuts,” he explained. “We will make a decision without having to recommend to the governor to recall or withdraw his nomination.”

It is not certain yet as to when the EAGI will tackle Mr. Soll’s appointment, although Mr. Reyes stressed they will act on its as soon as possible.

Rep. Stanley Torres said any person who assumes the post of the Attorney General must meet the highest standards of professionalism. “For our sake, I hope the Senate will leave no rock unturned and scrutinize Mr. Soll’s character and past interest that may have occurred when Mr. Soll was a trial judge,” he said.

According to Labor and Immigration Secretary Mark D. Zachares, “I support the governor’s choice. He’s got a solid sensitivity to the issues yet he ensures that laws are properly enforced.”

Legal experience

In his letter to Senate President Paul A. Manglona, Mr. Tenorio cited his nominee’s “extensive legal experience” serving in the Northern Marianas and other jurisdictions.

Mr. Soll served as the public defender of the Trust Territory government, the first judge of the CNMI Superior Court, a justice of the High Court of the Marshall Islands, deputy AG of the Commonwealth, and a DOLI hearing officer.

A graduate of University of Denver, he got his bachelor’s degree in 195 and his law degree in 1960, according to the statement sent by the Governor’s Office.

Mr. Soll was also a U.S. Peace Corps County Director in Sao Tome and Principe in West Africa from 1990-1993; District Attorney, State of Alaska Southwest Region from 1987-1990; Director of Criminal Prosecution for the State of Alaska in Juneau from 1986-1987; High Court Justice fro Marshalls for one year in 1984.

He also served as chief public defender for Alaska from 1971-1975. He is a member of the CNMI Bar Association and Alaska Bar Association and attended the National Judicial College, U.S. Department of State, Foreign Service Institute.

Married with five children and eight grandchildren, Mr. Soll also taught courses at the University of Alaska and Northern Marianas College.

Mr. Soll’s nomination followed after the designation of Assistant Attorney General Nicole C. Forelli as temporary AG to replace Ms. Kara who was also ordered by the court to step down because she had been assuming the position in violation of the constitutional provisions.

In a landmark decision issued last Jan. 20, Guam-based Judge Pro Tem Joaquin V.E. Manibusan ruled that Mr. Tenorio’s appointment of Ms. Kara was unconstitutional since she had assumed the post more than the required 30-day period.

Ms. Kara, a former legal counsel of the House of Representatives, was appointed in July 1998 and had since named by the governor as acting Attorney General 16 times despite two rejections on her nomination by the Senate.