Associate Justice Katherine A. Maraman has been elected by her colleagues to succeed Robert J. Torres as Chief Justice of Guam, whose term expires on Jan. 17.
Maraman, who will serve a three-year term, will be the first woman to hold this position. She joined the Supreme Court of Guam as an Associate Justice on Feb. 21, 2008. Prior to that, she served as a judge in the Superior Court of Guam from 1994-2008, where she was primarily assigned to the Family Court docket, in addition to handling the full panoply of general jurisdiction cases.
She was also instrumental in the establishment of the mental health docket, and has worked collaboratively with many agencies to create a therapeutic court structure, ensuring that Guam’s most vulnerable residents are provided the services they need.
Maraman’s career prior to taking the bench includes a legal practice in Guam that dates back to 1977. She served as Assistant Legislative Counsel for the Fourteenth though Sixteenth Guam Legislatures, and later as Minority Counsel. She also worked in private practice before becoming legal counsel to Governor Joseph Ada in 1988, a position she held up until she became a Judge.
In addition to her service to the Guam Judiciary, Maraman also serves as a part-time Justice of the Palau Supreme Court and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Guam. She has stated that she looks forward to assuming this leadership role with the Judiciary of Guam, and is confident and excited about the future of our courts of justice.
A promulgation hearing formalizing this election will take place on Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. in the Judiciary of Guam Atrium, at which time she will take her oath as chief justice.