Ramona Villagomez Manglona

Ramona Manglona
Chief Judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands
Incumbent
Assumed office July 29, 2011
Preceded by	Alex Munson
Judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands
Incumbent
Assumed office July 29, 2011
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Alex Munson
Personal details
Born	(1967-02-26) February 26, 1967 Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley University of New Mexico School of Law

Ramona Villagomez Manglona (pronounced /mɒŋːloːnjʌ/) is the presiding judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.^[1] Her term will end on July 28, 2021 unless she is reappointed.

Early life and education

Judge Manglona was born February 26, 1967 on Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Japanese. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1996.^[2]

Career

Prior to attending law school, Judge Manglona worked in her family's real estate management business. After graduating from law school, she served as a law clerk for two of the judges of the Superior Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. She then joined the Office of the Attorney General, serving first in the criminal division and later in the civil division. She became Deputy Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands early in 2002 and became the first female Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands in November 2002. She was appointed to the Superior Court in May 2003 and resigned from that post in June 2011 to take up her current post in the District Court.^[2]

Nomination to District Court

On January 26, 2011, President Obama nominated Judge Manglona to the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. This is considered an Article I judicial appointment, with a term of ten years, rather than life tenure. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination on March 16, 2011 and reported her nomination favorably on April 7, 2011.^[3] On July 26, 2011, the Senate confirmed her nomination by voice vote and she received her commission on July 29, 2011. However, she did not take her oath of office until July 30, 2011.^[4] Her commission will expire on July 28, 2021 at which time her term will end, unless she is reappointed.

Personal

Judge Manglona is married to John A. Manglona, an associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Mariana Islands. She has two children, Den and Savana.^[2]

References

External links

• Link to Judge Manglona's Biography at the official website of Northern Mariana Islands Judiciary