Title 48, Territories and Insular PossessionsRelease 119-110
§1821 District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands
Title 48 › CHAPTER 17 — NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS › SUBCHAPTER II — JUDICIAL MATTERS › § 1821
Summary
Creates a federal district court for the Northern Mariana Islands and makes it part of the same U.S. judicial circuit as Guam (the Ninth Circuit). The court will hold sessions on Saipan and at other places and times the court decides. The President, with Senate approval, must appoint the court’s judge for a 10-year term and until a successor is ready; the judge can be removed for cause and is paid the same as other U.S. district judges. The Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit or the Chief Justice may send qualified federal or local judges to serve temporarily in the court; those judges have full judge powers, including making certain official appointments and naming where funds or legal notices are kept or published. The President must also appoint a U.S. attorney and U.S. marshal for the islands (28 U.S.C. chapters 35 and 37 apply). Part II of title 18, title 28, and rules under titles 11, 18, and 28 apply where appropriate, except as limited by Articles IV and V of the Covenant (Act of March 24, 1976; 90 Stat. 263). In criminal rule language, “Attorney for the government” and “United States attorney” can include the Northern Mariana Islands Attorney General or others authorized by local law for local-law cases.
Full Legal Text
Title 48, §1821
Territories and Insular Possessions, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(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 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.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References 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 Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1984 AmendmentAmendment 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 JudgesExtension 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 Documents
Termination 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.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
48 U.S.C. § 1821
Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110