Guam Superior Court

Guam Superior Court
Court Information
	Judges: 7
	Founded: 1974
Judicial Selection
	Method: Gubernatorial appointment
	Term: 8 years

The Guam Superior Court is a trial court that has original jurisdiction over matters of Commonwealth law. The court consists of a presiding judge and at least four associate justices.^[1] The current presiding judge is Roberto C. Naraja.

Jurisdiction

The Superior Court of the Guam is a "court of general jurisdiction in Guam, having original jurisdiction as prescribed by this Title and in other laws of Guam which are not within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Guam or the District Court of Guam."^[2]

The following text from Subchapter 4 of the Organic Act of Guam covers the jurisdiction of the Superior Court:^[3]

“	Superior Court Jurisdiction Except as granted to the Supreme Court of Guam or otherwise provided by this Act or any other Act of Congress, the Superior Court of Guam and all other local courts established by the laws of Guam shall have such original and appellate jurisdiction over all causes in Guam as the laws of Guam provide, except that such jurisdiction shall be subject to the exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction conferred on the District Court of Guam under section 22 of this Act.^[4]	”
—Organic Act of Guam, Subchapter 4

Justices

The table below lists the current justices of the Guam Superior Court.

Office	Name	Party	Date assumed office
Guam Superior Court	Arthur R. Barcinas	Nonpartisan	2005
Guam Superior Court	Maria Teresa Bonifacio Cenzon	Nonpartisan	2012
Guam Superior Court	Dana Gutierrez	Nonpartisan	July 24, 2020
Guam Superior Court	Elyze M. Iriarte	Nonpartisan	2016
Guam Superior Court	Alberto C. Lamorena III	Nonpartisan	1988
Guam Superior Court	Vernon P. Perez	Nonpartisan	2008
Guam Superior Court	Alberto Tolentino	Nonpartisan	September 10, 2021

Salary

In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $172,927, according to the National Center for State Courts.^[5]

Judicial selection

Qualifications

Title 7, Chapter 3 of the Guam Code Annotated gives the qualifications for Supreme Court justices.^[6]

“

Nomination, Appointment, Eligibility and Tenure of Justices and Judges.

(a) I Maga’lahen Guåhan [The Governor of Guam], with the advice and consent of I Liheslaturan Guåhan [the Legislature], shall appoint a qualified person to each of the positions of Justice created by this Title; and subject to the advice and consent of I Liheslaturan Guåhan, appoint a qualified person to any vacancy occurring in either the Supreme Court or the Superior Court of Guam, and to any newly created position of Justice or Judge authorized by statute.

The Judicial Council and the Guam Bar Association may each submit a list of qualified nominees for I Maga’lahen Guåhan’s [the Governor's] consideration. No sitting Judge of the Superior Court of Guam shall be excluded from the pool of nominees for the Supreme Court of Guam.^[4]

”

—Guam Code Annotated: Title 7, Chapter 3 Supreme Court of Guam

Elections

Judges of the Superior Court are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature. Justices must stand for retention in the general election seven years after they were first appointed or last elected.^[7]^[8]

Maria Teresa Bonifacio Cenzon's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Arthur Barcinas' seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Alberto Lamorena III's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Alberto Tolentino's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Dana Gutierrez's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.