Title 7, Judiciary and Civil Procedure

The sessions of every court shall be open to the public, except as otherwise provided by law. The records of every court of justice, except the Family Court when sitting under the Juvenile Court Law (19 GCA Ch. 5), shall be public records and shall be open to the inspection of an…

No Judge or Justice shall be liable in a civil action for damages by reason of any judicial action or judgment rendered by him or her. 1985 SOURCE: § 132 CCP, as modified. 1985 COMMENT: The former phrase “in good faith” does not give complete immunity required of judges, and perm…

Each of the courts of Guam shall have power: (a) To preserve and enforce order in its immediate presence; (b) To enforce order in the proceedings before it, or before all persons empowered to conduct a judicial investigation under its authority; (c) To provide for the orderly con…

If no Judge attends on any day appointed for a session of any court, or on the day to which it may have adjourned, before noon, the clerk may adjourn the court until the next day and so on from day to day, until the Judge attends or by written order directs the court to be adjour…

Both the Supreme and Superior Courts shall have seals designed pursuant to the provisions of Title 1 of this Code, which shall be kept by their clerks. The seal of the court need be affixed only to writs and process, to certificates of probate of a will or the appointment of an e…

A Judge of the Superior Court may hear matters in chambers as permitted by law or the rules of court.

Every judicial officer shall have the power: (a) To preserve and enforce order in his or her immediate presence and in proceedings before him or her, when he or she is engaged in the performance of official duty; (b) To compel obedience to his or her lawful orders as provided in …

For the effectual exercise of the powers conferred by § 7111, a judicial officer may punish for contempt in the cases provided in this Title. 1985 SOURCE: CCP § 178 modified to refer to new Title designations. “Title” changed to “Code”. CROSS-REFERENCES: See Chapter 34 of this Ti…

Every judicial officer and every clerk of court and his or her deputies shall have power to administer oaths and to take acknowledgments of deeds and other written instruments. 1985 SOURCE: CCP § 179 unchanged. COL 2025-08-27 1985 COMMENT: This, and the preceding two sections, re…

No proceeding in any court of justice, in an action pending therein, shall be affected by a vacancy in the office of all or any of the Judges thereof. 1985 SOURCE: CCP § 184 unchanged.

Every written proceeding in a court of justice of Guam shall be in the English language and judicial proceedings shall be conducted, preserved and published in no other; provided, however, that with the consent of all parties, counsel and the court, proceedings may be conducted i…

Such abbreviations as are in common use may be used, and numbers may be expressed by figures or numerals in the customary manner. 1985 SOURCE: CCP § 186 unchanged.

At the first hearing before the Superior Court in any action brought under the Every Child is Entitled to an Adequate Public Education Act, the court may order an expedited schedule of discovery and pleading, and an expedited schedule and trial date for the case, if requested by …

When jurisdiction is by law conferred on a court or judicial officer, all the means necessary to carry it into effect are also given; and in the exercise of this jurisdiction, if the course of the proceeding be not specifically pointed out by law or by rules of procedure adopted …

(a) When any money is deposited with the clerk of any court pursuant to any action or proceeding in such court, or pursuant to any order, decree or judgment of the court, and to which the government of Guam is to have title, or when any money is to be paid to the Treasurer of Gua…

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Guam shall nominate Referees for approval by the Judicial Council as provided in this Title, the Probate Code (Title 15), Title 19 (Family Court Law) and the applicable rules of procedure, which Referees may hear cases in more than one di…

The Chief Justice may assign referees to hear cases in more than one (1) division or court of the Superior Court. SOURCE: Added by P.L. 24-135:4 (Feb. 20, 1998) and P.L.24-139:18 (Feb. 21, 1998) (But see Court Decisions annotation below). COURT DECISIONS: Pangelinan v. Gutierrez,…

(a) The clerk of the Superior Court and of the Supreme Court, respectively, may cause any record, paper or document in their care and custody, to be photographed, microphotographed, or otherwise COL 2025-08-27 reproduced on film or in digitized form. The storage media shall be du…

(a) There is hereby created a special fund to be known as the “Superior Court Operations Fund” (Fund), such fund to be administered by the Court Administrator of the Superior Court of Guam. All money appropriated for the operation of the Superior Court of Guam shall be paid direc…