Governor submits Camacho’s documents to Senate

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial submitted documents to the Senate last week in support of his Aug. 10 nomination of former House floor leader and attorney Joseph N. Camacho to serve as Superior Court associate judge. As of yesterday, Camacho’s nomination has yet to get a public hearing date.

Fitial submitted to Senate President Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota) a copy of Camacho’s résumé, statement of financial interest, police clearance, drug test receipt, and drug test result.

Sen. Frank Cruz (R-Tinian), chairman of the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations, said yesterday that the Senate is prioritizing action on the fiscal year 2012 budget bill.

Cruz said it doesn’t make sense to entertain appointments that will impact funding when the budget has yet to be passed and signed into law.

He said hiring a judge of the Superior Court will cost the CNMI government approximately $308,000 annually.

This amount includes the base yearly salary of $120,000. If one includes the benefits, law clerk, secretary, and other miscellaneous expenses, the total estimated cost to CNMI taxpayers of a judge is $308,000.

The EAGI Committee and the Fiscal Affairs Committee has already finalized its report to the full Senate to ask the governor to withdraw his appointment of Camacho, at least until after the 2012 budget is passed.

The Senate has yet to adopt the report.

“The committees don’t have anything against Mr. Camacho. But the timing of the nomination is just wrong. After the budget bill becomes law, then we will discuss the appointment, especially because the appointment to the Superior Court requires funding unlike appointments to other boards and commissions,” Cruz added.

The report says that, based on statistics from the National Center for State Courts, the CNMI Judiciary receives salaries at, or in some cases above, the national average.

It also says it appears that any temporary hold on the vacancy of a Superior Court associate judge will not unduly reduce services to the community.

Fitial appointed Camacho as associate judge in the Superior Court to fill in the vacancy left by Ramona V. Manglona, now the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the NMI.

Camacho’s appointment came days after the Senate passed an initiative reducing the number of associate judges from at least four to three, citing the CNMI government’s declining finances and the fewer number of cases filed in court.

The CNMI Constitution requires one presiding judge and at least four associate judges.