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MAY 14-21 IS LAW WEEK
CNMI Judiciary unveils new seal
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Posted on May 17 2021
The CNMI Judiciary proclaimed May 14-21 as Law Week during an event at the Guma Hustisia last Friday, with the theme this year being “Advancing the Rule of Law Now.” In addition to announcing the winners of the yearly Law Week essay, poster, and seal design contests, the Judiciary unveiled its new seal at the Guma Hustisia’s COVID-19 Screening and Security Zone. Shortly after the reveal, Justice John A. Manglona explained the symbolism behind the seal’s many details.
According to Manglona, a Professional Development Conference was held in November 2018 where three proposed seal designs were presented to court staff. From there, the staff provided comments on what color certain parts of the seal should be, suggestions on certain wordings, and further input on other details. The addition of a mwar behind the Scales of Justice was largely in part due to a suggestion of the late Ursula I. Lifoifoi-Aldan, who was the Judiciary’s chief Probation Officer. “It’s just heartbreaking that she’s not here to witness this event,” said Manglona.
Along with the mwar, the seal features waves of varying shades of blue, which represent the driving force of justice and the sometimes-turbulent cases the Judiciary has to handle. Additionally, three taga stones represent the three main islands of the CNMI as well as to represent the three justices of the Supreme Court.
The colors present on the seal are used to “depict the natural beauty of the islands,” said Manglona. Various shades of blue represent the water and the skies, while a mixture of gold, white, red, green, and brown represent the sun, vegetation, sand, and soil.
The year 1989 is displayed on the seal, which is when the Commonwealth Judiciary was initially established as a statutory court. The Judiciary later became a constitutional court in 1997, making it “a true co-equal branch of government,” as Manglona explained.
Finally, inscribed at the bottom of the perimeter of the seal is the “Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.”
The Supreme Court adopted the Judiciary seal on Jan. 17, 2019.
