US Senate to vote today on Manglona’s confirmation

The full U.S. Senate will vote on Monday afternoon, July 25, Washington D.C. time, the final step in the confirmation process of Judge Ramona Villagomez Manglona to be the judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

According to the U.S. Senate’s executive calendar, the Senate on Monday at 4:30pm will proceed to executive session to consider the nominations of Manglona to be the judge for the District Court for the NMI, and Paul A. Engelmayer of New York to be the U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York.

There will be an hour allotted for debate equally divided in the usual form. Upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate will proceed to vote without any intervention action or debate on Manglona’s and Engelmayer’s nominations.

The calendar states that the President will be immediately notified of the Senate’s actions and the Senate will then resume legislative session.

A Saipan Tribune source disclosed that, on Saturday Gov. Benigno R. Fitial received email confirmation that Manglona’s nomination will be voted on Monday at 4:30pm D.C. time.

The source said that Fitial visited Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, while he was in Washington, D.C. and asked that Manglona’s confirmation be fast-tracked and voted on.

Last April, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, acting by voice vote, unanimously approved Manglona’s nomination to be the next judge in the district court for the NMI.

A lawyer told Saipan Tribune yesterday that if the U.S. Senate will confirm Manglona’s nomination, Manglona will eventually receive an official letter from the federal government about her confirmation.

The lawyer, who asked not to be identified, said that Manglona will have to resign her position as associate judge in the Superior Court.

CNMI Superior Court presiding judge Robert C. Naraja or Chief Justice Miguel S. Demapan will have to write Fitial that there is a vacancy in the Superior Court.

Fitial, the lawyer said, will then submit a nominee to the CNMI Senate for confirmation to fill the vacancy in the Superior Court bench.

After Manglona’s resignation, she can be sworn in as federal judge.

CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan recommended Manglona to President Obama in December 2009.