District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands

Eyes widening, NMI Girl Scout Daisies Aycee Quitugua and Brianna Pangelinan pointed at the jury box in the U.S. District Court courtroom saying they wanted to go there as they jumped up and down.

It was the first time for most of the 43 NMI Girl Scouts from kindergarten to eighth grade, to enter the federal courthouse.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Ramona Manglona, Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy and CNMI Superior Court Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio hosted the first CNMI Justice Patch Program for the NMI Girl Scouts last October in observance of Red Ribbon Week as well as to instill a greater understanding of the legal system for the aspiring young Scouts.

"It was a pleasure to host the young scouts at the courthouse. It was a lot of fun to watch the eager girls interact with women in the various roles that comprise the justice system. By having them personally speak with these professionals from our island community, I hope that they can see themselves in these roles in the future," said Chief Judge Manglona.

NMI Girl Scouts received the blue patch, tailor made for the CNMI with a turtle, a mascot representing the decorative turtles at the U.S. Supreme Court's building symbolizing the deliberate pace of justice; the Latte Stone and mwarmwar from the CNMI flag representing the indigenous Chamorros and Carolinian, and the scales of justice. After attending presentations from an all female panel of judges, law enforcement officials and lawyers, the scouts were presented this unique patch. "It was exciting to see all women talk about their legal careers," said NMI Girl Scout Cadet Mai Mai Peters. "There is really no limit to what I would like to do in the future."

Nicole Sively, U.S. Homeland Security Officer, Juanette David-Atalig, from the U.S. Probation Office for the Districts of Guam and NMI, and Maria Tudela, CNMI Marshal Service Officer all spoke to the girls about what they do on a day to day basis.

Local attorneys Janet King, Heather Barcinas, Kastle Lund-Turner, Stephanie Boutsicaris, and Rosemond Santos comprised the mix of prosecutors, criminal defenders and private attorneys; they each shared their stories and advice to the NMI Girl Scouts.

After the panel presentations, the NMI Girl Scouts returned to the courtroom to hear from the judges themselves and to do an interactive quiz learning about the different positions in the Court.

Soon after, they received their CNMI Justice Patch from the judges themselves while parents and volunteers cheered them on.

"We are looking at making this an annual patch earning opportunity for our NMI Girl Scouts as it is a very empowering and inspiring experience for them and we are so grateful for the partnership and support," said NMI Girl Scout President Tania David. "We would like to extend a special thank you to Chief Judge Manglona, Judges Kennedy and Tenorio and their teams for making this possible."

The NMI Girl Scouts and Troop Leaders with U.S. District Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather L. Kennedy, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, and Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio, CNMI Superior Court.