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CNMI Judiciary to host Pacific Judicial Council biennial meeting
The Northern Mariana Islands Judiciary will host the Pacific Judicial Council Biennial Conference from Sept. 26 to 29, 2017.
The PJC consists of the judiciaries from the Northern Marianas, Guam, Palau, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Chuuk, Yap, and American Samoa.
The conference allows judges and justices to share and discuss ideas to improve court administration and delivery of justice, providing a collaborative forum to brainstorm solutions to common challenges on the islands.
About 35 judges and justices are expected to be in attendance, as well as members of the CNMI Bar Association.
Among the conference invitees are justices and judges from the U.S. District Court for the NMI, U.S. District Court of Guam, High and District Courts of American Samoa, FSM Supreme Court, the Supreme and Superior Courts of Guam, Palau Supreme and Land Courts, Pohnpei State Supreme Court, Chuuk State Supreme Court, Kosrae State Court, and Yap State Court.
Presentations and discussions will cover contemporary topics such as immigration control and policies, judicial opinion writing, U.S. Supreme Court case review, judicial ethics and social media, attorney discipline, and evidence.
Conference speakers will include Senior Judge John Coughenour of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington; Supreme Court of Guam Associate Justice Robert J. Torres; professors Carlton F.W. Larson and Rose C. Villazor, both of the University of California at Davis School of Law; University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Law adjunct professor Joseph Regalia; and Bruce A. Bradley.
The member jurisdictions rotate hosting the biennial conference. The CNMI Judiciary hosted the conference in 2009; over 30 attorneys from the local Bar were in attendance. Some of the conference sessions and luncheon this year will be open to the local Bar.
Information on the conference venue and registration will be available at a later date. The conference is made possible by funding from the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. (PR)
