U.S. Code » Title 48 » Chapter CHAPTER 17— NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— JUDICIAL MATTERS

48 U.S.C. § 1821

District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands

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(a) Establishment; judicial circuit; terms of court

There is established for and within the Northern Mariana Islands a court of record to be known as the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. The Northern Mariana Islands shall constitute a part of the same judicial circuit of the United States as Guam. Terms of court shall be held on Saipan and at such other places and at such times as the court may designate by rule or order.

(b) Appointment, tenure, removal, compensation, etc., of District Court judge; appointment of United States attorney and United States marshal(1) The President shall, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint a judge for the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands who shall hold office for the term of ten years and until his successor is chosen and qualified, unless sooner removed by the President for cause. The judge shall receive a salary payable by the United States which shall be at the rate prescribed for judges of the United States district courts.(2) The Chief Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of the United States may assign justices of the High Court of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands or judges of courts of record of the Northern Mariana Islands who are licensed attorneys in good standing or a circuit or district judge of the ninth circuit, including a judge of the District Court of Guam who is appointed by the President or a recalled senior judge of the District Court of Guam or of the District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Chief Justice of the United States may assign any other United States circuit or district judge with the consent of the judge so assigned and of the chief judge of his circuit to serve temporarily as a judge in the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands whenever such an assignment is necessary for the proper dispatch of the business of the court. Such judges shall have all the powers of a judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, including the power to appoint any person to a statutory position, or to designate a depository of funds or a newspaper for publication of legal notices.(3) The President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, a United States attorney and United States marshal for the Northern Mariana Islands to whose offices the provisions of chapters 35 and 37 of title 28, respectively, shall apply.(4) If the President appoints a judge for the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands or a United States attorney or a United States marshal for the Northern Mariana Islands who at that time is serving in the same capacity in another district, the appointment shall, without prejudice to a subsequent appointment, be for the unexpired term of such judge or officer.(c) Applicability of Federal rules and statutory requirements

Where appropriate, and except as otherwise provided in articles IV and V of the Covenant approved by the Act of March 24, 1976 (90 Stat. 263), the provisions of part II of title 18 and of titles 11 So in original. 28, the rules of practice and procedure heretofore or hereafter promulgated and made effective by the Congress or the Supreme Court of the United States pursuant to titles 11, 18, and 28 shall apply to the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands and appeals therefrom; except that the terms “Attorney for the government” and “United States attorney”, as used in the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, shall, when applicable to cases arising under the laws of the Northern Mariana Islands, include the Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands or such other person or persons as may be authorized by the laws of the Northern Mariana Islands to act therein.

(Pub. L. 95–157, § 1, Nov. 8, 1977, 91 Stat. 1265; Pub. L. 98–454, title IX, § 901, Oct. 5, 1984, 98 Stat. 1744.)Editorial NotesReferences in Text

The Covenant, referred to in subsec. (c), is the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, which is contained in section 1 of Pub. L. 94–241, set out as a note under section 1801 of this title.

Act of March 24, 1976, referred to in subsec. (c), is Pub. L. 94–241, Mar. 24, 1976, 90 Stat. 263, which is classified generally to subchapter I (§ 1801 et seq.) of this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, referred to in subsec. (c), are set out in the Appendix to Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.

Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 1694 of this title.

Amendments

1984—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 98–454, § 901(a), substituted “for a term of ten years” for “for a term of eight years”.

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 98–454, § 901(b), inserted “or a recalled senior judge of the District Court of Guam or of the District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands” after “President” in first sentence.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–454, § 901(c), amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) read as follows: “The provisions of chapters 43 and 49 of title 28, and the rules heretofore or hereafter promulgated and made effective by the Congress or the Supreme Court of the United States pursuant to titles 11, 18, and 28 shall apply to the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands and appeals therefrom where appropriate, except as otherwise provided in articles IV and V of the covenant provided by the Act of March 24, 1976 (90 Stat. 263). The terms ‘attorney for the government’ and ‘United States attorney’ as used in the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (rule 54(c)) shall, when applicable to cases arising under the laws of the Northern Mariana Islands, include the attorney general of the Northern Mariana Islands or any other person or persons as may be authorized by the laws of the Northern Marianas to act therein.”

Statutory Notes and Related SubsidiariesEffective Date of 1984 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 98–454 effective on ninetieth day following Oct. 5, 1984, see section 1005 of Pub. L. 98–454, set out as a note under section 1424 of this title.

Effective Date

For effective date of this section, see section 1825 of this title and Effective Date of Constitution note thereunder.

Extension of Term of District Judges

Extension of term of district court judges to ten years applicable to judges holding office on Oct. 5, 1984, see section 1004 of Pub. L. 98–454, set out as a note under section 1424b of this title.

Executive DocumentsTermination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding section 1681 of this title.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 22 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2002–2021 · leading case: Nguyen v. United States, 539 U.S. 69 (2003).
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Nguyen v. United States, 539 U.S. 69 (2003). · cites it 2× “[6] 48 U. S. C. § 1821 (b)(1). [7] The District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands is instead established in Chapter 17 of Title 48 ("Territories and Insular Possessions").”
United States v. Xiaoying Tang Dowai, 839 F.3d 877 (9th Cir. 2016). · cites it 4× “2 In support of her position, Tang notes that the NMI District Court is created by statute, 48 U.S.C. § 1821 (b), and objects that NMI District Court judges serve ten-year terms and can be removed by the President alone.”
United States v. United States Dist. Court for N. Mariana Islands, 694 F.3d 1051 (9th Cir. 2012). · cites it 2× “See 48 U.S.C. § 1821 (b)(2). This case is assigned to District Judge Ramona V.”
United States v. Jones, 74 M.J. 95 (C.A.A.F. 2015). · cites it 2× “2130 ; see 48 U.S.C. § 1821 (b)(1) (2012). No objection was made at the time to the judge’s sitting, nor was rehearing sought.”
United States v. Wei Lin, 841 F.3d 823 (9th Cir. 2016). “§§ 1291 , 1294 and 48 U.S.C. §§ 1821 , 1824. We hold that the district court erred in calculating Lin’s base offense level, and we reverse, vacate Lin’s sentence, and remand for re-sentencing.”
Armstrong v. Commonwealth of N. Mariana Islands, 576 F.3d 950 (9th Cir. 2009). “§ 1291 and 48 U.S.C. § 1821 (a). Because we agree with the district court’s determination that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction over Armstrong’s claims, we affirm.”
Est. of Garner v. Schindler, 159 P.3d 557 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2007). “The Article IV judge selected to serve on the Ninth Circuit panel was the Chief Judge of the District for the Northern Mariana Islands, who is appointed by the President for a ten-year term, subject to Senate confirmation, "unless sooner removed by the President for good cause.”
In re Ocean 4660 LLC, 569 B.R. 850 (Bankr. S.D. Florida 2017). “§ 1614 (creating the United States District Court for the Territory of the Virgin Islands); 48 U.S.C. § 1821 (b) (creating the United States District Court for the Territory of the Northern Mariana Islands).”
Baldwin v. United States, 823 F. Supp. 2d 1087 (N. Mar. I. 2011). “48 U.S.C. § 1821 (b)(2). 11 . Both parties inexplicably direct me to the standard applicable to motions for reconsideration of judgments under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(e): a district court may grant such a motion on the basis of new evidence, an intervening change in…”
John Pangelinan v. David Wiseman, 370 F. App'x 818 (9th Cir. 2010). “P. 55(a) (providing that a default can be entered against a party only where that party “has failed to plead or otherwise defend”).”
Zhang v. United States, 89 Fed. Cl. 263 (Fed. Cl. 2009). “See 48 U.S.C. § 1821 (a) (2006) (placing CNMI in same judicial circuit as Guam); 28 U.”
United States v. Robinson, 710 F. Supp. 2d 1065 (N. Mar. I. 2010). “See 48 U.S.C. § 1821 (b)(2). 3 . The original prosecutor was accompanied by another Assistant United States Attorney, *1072 who would later appear as “trial counsel” for Robinson’s case.”
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