Richard Hugh Benson
Richard Hugh Benson (1926 – 2021) was a judge for the Superior and Supreme Courts of Guam for over 40 years.
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Contemporary Guam Era, Historic Eras of Guam, Justice, Modern Guam Rises, People
Justice
Historic Eras of Guam, Justice, Modern Guam Rises, People, People and Places, Post WWII Era, Women in Guam History
Ana LG Sablan
Guam’s first CHamoru policewoman. She enlisted in 1946 and served for 29 years.
Civic Society, Guamanian Era, Guamanian Era: Politics, Historic Eras of Guam, Justice, Modern Guam Rises, People, People and Places, Politics and Government
Speaker Joaquin C. Arriola
Postwar leader. Joaquin “Kin” C. Arriola (1925 – 2022) was a prominent figure at the forefront of Guam’s legal history. Arriola was one of Guam’s leaders who took part in making the island what it is today. Guam’s current form of limited self-government took decades of vision, calls for justice, and tenacity by local leaders such as Arriola.
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Justice, Modern Guam Rises
History of the Guam Courts
Current Court system of Guam set up in 1950. All nations operate under a system of laws that generally direct how people live, work, do business, recreate, worship or engage in any other kinds of social interactions. Laws necessarily help societies and governments maintain order. Laws, however, need courts in order to help interpret and apply laws, particularly when individual parties, government units, or businesses are in conflict or dispute. Courts help resolve these disputes. They also uphold limitations to government and protect citizens from abuse. They protect rights, including those of individuals who cannot protect themselves.
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Contemporary Guam Era, Historic Eras of Guam, Justice, People, People and Places
Peter C. Siguenza, Jr.
Peter Charles Siguenza, Jr. (1951 – 2020) was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Guam established in 1996 by the Organic Act of Guam. Prior to his appointment as the first Chief Justice for Kotten Mas Takhelo Guåhan, Siguenza served for 12 years as a trial judge in the Superior Court of Guam.
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CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination, Civic Society, Historic Eras of Guam, Justice, People, People and Places, Politics and Government, US Naval Era, US Naval Era: Politics
Atanasio Taitano Perez
First postmaster of Guam, first Secretary to the Governor during US Naval Era. Atanasio Taitano Perez (1874 – 1950), commonly known as Don Perez, is the only child of Francisco Taitano Perez and Maria Encarnacion Perez.
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Historic Eras of Guam, Justice, US Naval Era
US Naval Era: Judges and Island Attorneys
US Naval Governor Edward Dorn replaced all CHamoru justices in 1910 with commissioned officers from the US Navy and Marine Corps. However, by 1918 local judges were back in the island’s courts.
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Historic Eras of Guam, Justice, US Naval Era
US Naval Era: Island Court System
Many of the first US Naval governors of Guam attempted to reorganize the court system. Guam’s first appointed US Navy Governor Richard P. Leary (1899–1900) created the Supreme Court of Guam in April 1900.
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Historic Eras of Guam, Justice, US Naval Era
US Naval Era: Development of the Code of Guam
Although Guam became an American possession in 1898, it was not until 1933 that the laws of Guam began to reflect those of the United States rather than of Spain. For nearly 34 years of American rule the rulings and decisions made in the island’s judicial system were based heavily upon the terms laid out in Spanish law, including the titles used in court and methods of punishment.
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Contemporary Guam Era, Historic Eras of Guam, Justice
Contemporary Guam: Guam Law Library
The Guam Law Library was established in 1978 to serve the growing needs of Guam’s legal community and the public. It is located in Hagåtña adjacent to the Judicial Center.
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