United States Ninth Circuit

Because this court's review of the decisions of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is confined to federal questions, and the CNMI Supreme Court's decision here rests on adequate and independent grounds of local (non-federal) law, Circuit Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over defendant's appeal and case dismissed.

Appellate Information

• Argued 05/17/2001
• Decided 02/08/2002
• Published 02/08/2002

Judges

• CANBY, Circuit Judge., Before:  B. FLETCHER, CANBY, and PAEZ, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Theodore R. Mitchell and Jeanne H. Rayphand, Saipan, MP, for the appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• John M. Chambers and Mark K. Williams, Smith & Williams, Saipan, MP, for the appellee.