Justice Manglona submits letter of intent to seek 3rd retention

Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Kayla S. Igitol receives yesterday from CNMI Supreme Court Associate Justice John A. Manglona his letter of intent to seek retention on the bench in the Nov. 8 general election. Voters overwhelmingly voted for Manglona’s retention during the 2007 and 2014 elections. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

CNMI Supreme Court Associate Justice John A. Manglona submitted yesterday afternoon his letter of intent to seek his third retention on the bench for the Nov. 8 general election.

Manglona personally handed his letter to Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Kayla I. Igitol at the CEC office in Susupe at 2pm.

In his letter addressed to Igitol and CEC board chair Jesus I. Sablan, Manglona said that, as his current term nears its full course, he continues to hold a deep desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth.

“In the past 22 years as a Supreme Court justice, I have worked diligently to serve the interests of our island community,” he said.

In addition to hearing hundreds of cases and authoring opinions both in the Commonwealth Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Guam, much of Manglona’s time and energy, both on and off the bench, have gone toward modernizing CNMI court operations and spearheading community outreach projects.

Manglona said it is his hope that a third retention will allow him to continue this work with CNMI Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro, Associate Justice Perry B. Inos, Superior Court judges, and the rest of the Judiciary’s leadership and staff.

“I want to extend my sincere appreciation to all voters whose voices provide the guiding light in our islands. I early await the electoral process and the prospect of further judicial service,” he said.

Manglona’s eight-year term will expire in May 2014. He ascended to the Superior Court as an associate judge in 1998. In 2000, then-governor Pedro P. Tenorio appointed him to become an associate justice for the Supreme Court.

Manglona first sought his retention election as associate justice at the November 2007 election. Voters overwhelmingly voted for his retention.

At the November 2014 election, voters again overwhelmingly retained him as associate justice.

Manglona and his wife, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, are the first to obtain an impressive “good” rating among the magistrates whose performances were evaluated by the NMI Bar Association. The couple obtained the “good” rating during a performance evaluation in 2007.

“Good” or a total average of 4 means the magistrate often exceeds minimum standards of performance.

In 2014, Justice Manglona got again a “good” total average rating in the CNMI Bar Association’s evaluation of his performance on the bench.

Except for the Manglona couple, all other magistrates who sought for retention got the “acceptable” total average rating.

“Acceptable” or a total average 3 means the magistrate meets minimum standards of performance.
The CNMI Bar Association established in 2002 a mechanism by which nominees for judicial appointment or retention may be evaluated by the association.