Guam’s Chief Justice, F. Philip Carbullido, delivered his 2012 State of the Judiciary Address on May 1, 2012 to the 31st Guam Legislature (Liheslaturan Guåhan).
Portions of the Chief Justice’s Address are below:
Preserving Our Mission, Protecting the Rule of Law: A fair, efficient, and fully functioning court system provides businesses with the necessary confidence to invest in an area, by ensuring that their investments are fully protected under the rule of law… The protection provided by the court system is what makes it possible for our citizens to innovate and enjoy the fruits of their labor, while protecting their rights and the rights of others; it is what attracts investors and it’s what gives our local people the security they need to venture into business in the hopes of growing our economy and improving their standard of living.
CMS: For the Judiciary, the new CMS means that we can more effectively allocate our workload and maintain the most efficient operation possible… The Judiciary is moving with the national trend of becoming a paper-on-demand court. As part of Phase II of our CMS, we will implement e-filing in the Superior Court – an option that, until now, has only been available in the Supreme Court.
Strategic Plan: The Judiciary’s Strategic Plan is our way forward, our blueprint for the next 3 – 5 years. It’s how we know where we need to be, and it’s the surest set of directions on how to get there… Many of our strategic projects are focused on solutions designed to address all issues of timeliness – from getting a case moved through the system more quickly, to decreasing the time it takes to complete routine court business.
Program Highlights: The Judiciary of Guam succeeds today because our extraordinary employees and community partners come together in productive ways to make our system of justice work better tomorrow than it does today … A staggering 9,294 cases were filed in the Superior Court in 2011, including 2,027 criminal Cases… I would be remiss if I did not mention our specialty courts and the judges and employees who staff these courts… By providing “wrap around services,” we are able to target the underlying problems that lead people into the criminal justice system.
Concluding Thoughts: The Judiciary of Guam serves a very important function in our community and we are committed to providing quality, reliable, and accessible justice to all Guam’s residents and businesses… We rely on the collective support of the Legislature and the Governor in order to continue fulfilling our mission, and to ensure that our justice system remains accessible, reliable, and stable. I am acutely aware – and very much appreciate – that funding is tight for everyone. But by design of our system of government, the people of Guam depend on you to provide. We rely on the collective support of the Legislature and the Governor in order to continue fulfilling our mission, and to ensure that our justice system remains accessible, reliable, and stable. I am acutely aware – and very much appreciate – that funding is tight for everyone. But by design of our system of government, the people of Guam depend on you to provide.
