Freshman lawmakers undergo legal seminar

Incoming freshman legislators yesterday learned more about laws and the legal system during a seminar at the Judicial Complex.

The new representatives and senators, along with veteran lawmaker Rep.-elect Manuel Tenorio, attended the Law and the Freshman Legislator Seminar sponsored by the Commonwealth Judiciary and the Northern Marianas Judiciary Historical Society.

Associate Justice Alexandro C. Castro gave an overview of the Covenant and the U.S. and CNMI Constitutions.

The incoming lawmakers watched video presentation about the inner workings on the appellate court and its decision-making process.

Associate Justice John A. Manglona briefly discussed the role of courts in the development and interpretation of common law in the Anglo-American legal system.

Associate Justice Ramona V. Manglona tackled how the courts determine legislative intent, the constitutional limits of statutes, and certain issues raised in drafting legislation.

Commonwealth Law Revision Commission executive director Naomi Lujan-Gonzales introduced the legislators to legal resources available at the Commonwealth Law Revision Commission.

The justices and some judges then had a luncheon and roundtable discussion at Fiesta Resort and Spa.

Chief Justice Miguel S. Demapan, in his remarks, explained that the purpose of the program is to provide the new lawmakers with insight as to how the judiciary interpret and apply laws that legislators create.

The sessions, Demapan said, seek to achieve this goal by highlighting the basic framework within which the legal system operates.

“We hope that by explaining our system’s legal methodology, you will be better equipped to write laws that more closely effectuate your chosen policy goals,” the chief justice said.

The program, Demapan said, is tailored from a similar program conducted by the Washington State Supreme Court and the State of Hawaii.

“Their success gave us the impetus to try it here in the Northern Marianas. Due to our first presentation’s success, we have decided to make it a regular event,” he said.

Rep.-elect Cinta Kaipat, in an interview with the Saipan Tribune, said the program is very important because it allows the incoming freshmen legislators to really understand how they can be more effective lawmakers.

“[How] we can write laws better so that they can be interpreted by the judges and be more efficient,” Kaipat said.

Senator-elect Maria Pangelinan said the seminar is necessary because the new lawmakers get to know the judges who would be making the decision on the statutes that the legislators created.

“We have to understand the standards that they [judges] set and what they look for. And that is very important because we also have to think how are they going to make that decision when we make the law,” Pangelinan said.

The other senator-elect participants were Felix Mendiola and June Hofschneider.

The other participants from the House of Representatives were Reps.-elect Manuel Tenorio, Francisco Dela Cruz, Absalon Waki Jr., Candido Taman, and Edwin Aldan.

The first Law and the Freshman Legislator seminar was held in January 2004 in which 12 then incoming lawmakers joined the program.