CNMI House Resolution 21-40

 

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

POSTHUMOUSLY RECOGNIZING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE LATE HONORABLE ALFRED LAURETA, ESQ., FIRST CHIEF JUDGE FOR THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.

WHEREAS, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. was born on the island of O'ahu, Hawai'i on May 21, 1924 to the late Laureano Laureta and Victoriana Pascua, both immigrants from the Philippines; and

WHEREAS, despite his humble upbringing, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. strived to be the best he could be academically, with many at the time taking notice of his scholastic excellence; and

WHEREAS, after graduating high school, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. attended the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, paying his way through college by working as an employee at a pineapple cannery; and

WHEREAS, Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. graduated from college in 1947 with a bachelor's degree in Education, however he had his sights set on becoming a lawyer; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from college and with financial assistance both from acquaintances and generous benefactors, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. attended the prestigious Fordham University in New York and graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Laws degree; and

WHEREAS, for the next several years after returning to Hawai'i, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. worked as a partner in the Kobayashi, Kono, Laureta & Ariyoshi law firm; and

WHEREAS, in 1959, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. worked as an administrative assistant to the late Daniel K. Inouye, the first elected member of Congress from the newly christened State of Hawai'i; and

WHEREAS, after the late Daniel Inouye's ascension to the United States Senate, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. returned home to serve as Director of the Department of Labor & Industrial Relations under the late Gov. John Burns, becoming the first person to serve in the governor's cabinet of Filipino ancestry; and

WHEREAS, in 1967, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. was appointed judge for the First Circuit Court of Honolulu, a position he also held after moving to the island of Kaua'i two years later to sit on the Fifth Circuit Court; and

WHEREAS, in June of 1978, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. broke racial and ethnic barriers when he was appointed by President James E. Carter as the first judge of the new U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, becoming the first Filipino-American judge in history; and

WHEREAS, after serving for a decade in this capacity, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq.'s tenure as District Court Judge for the Northern Mariana Islands ended in 1988, and he was succeeded by the Honorable Judge Alex R. Munson; and

WHEREAS, in his decades of serving the Pacific as a civil servant and jurist, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. became a well-respected individual within his peers and his community; and

WHEREAS, on November 16, 2020 surrounded by family and friends, the Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. passed away at the age of 96; and

WHEREAS, in his passing, the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq. joins his parents and his beloved wife Evelyn, is survived by his children: Lisa, Gregory, Michael and Pamela, and a leaves behind a legacy as a champion of justice to all he served; and

WHEREAS, because of the impact he made on law in his state and our islands, the Legislature finds him worthy of honor and recognition; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-First Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature that we posthumously recognize the life and legacy of the late Honorable Alfred Laureta, Esq., First District Judge of the Northern Mariana Islands; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Sponsor of this Resolution or the designee of the Speaker of the House shall present certified original copies of this House Resolution to the late Judge Alfred Laureta's family and to the Honorable Ramona V. Manglona, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall certify, and the House Clerk shall attest to the adoption of this resolution and thereafter the House Clerk shall transmit a certified copy to the Honorable Governor Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres; the Honorable Lt. Governor Arnold I. Palacios; the Honorable Delegate Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan; the Honorable Senate President Victor B. Hocog; the Honorable Alexandro C. Castro, Chief Justice of the Commonwealth Supreme Court; the Honorable Robert C. Naraja, Presiding Judge of the Commonwealth Superior Court; the Honorable Heather Kennedy, Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court (NMI), and to the Honorable. David Y. Ige, Governor of the State of Hawai'i.


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