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Torres promises open access to judicial resources
"Access to Justice" was the theme of this morning's State of the Judiciary Address. Guam Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Torres revealed his vision for the third branch of government, with the emphasis to make it easier for residents to obtain the justice they need and deserve. "I envision Guam as a place where everyone has equal access to justice - rich and poor, men and women, children and the elderly, military and civilian, immigrant and long-time residents," he announced.
Saying cooperation between the three branches of government is key in ensuring access to justice, Chief Justice Torres outlined his vision for the judiciary that includes concerted efforts with self-represented litigants, facilities, technological innovations and community participation and outreaches. Noting the growing trend of those who can't afford lawyers, Torres says the judiciary wants to make things easier. "Rather than ignore the challenges presented by self-represented litigants," he announced, "We have taken concrete steps by establishing Programen Ayudante to assist self-represented litigations in their pursuit of justice."
With assistance from the Guam Legal Services Corporation, the court will be installing user-friendly computer terminals with legal information, forms and self-help pamphlets. "To augment our efforts, the Guam Bar Association created a non-profit association, the Legal Aid for Self-Help. LASH's purpose is to provide legal services to those who cannot afford to pay for an attorney and who do not qualify for legal assistance from the existing legal service programs," Torres continued.
Stressing the fact that access to justice cannot be adequately met with existing judicial resources and facilities and highly restricted resources, the chief justice sought support for a new facility that would ease current overcrowding in the Hagatna courthouse. "On behalf of the myriad of court patrons in our community, we ask you to support our plan for the opening of a satellite court in Northern Guam to be known as the Northern Court Satellite, or NCS," he said.
In addition to his request to lawmakers for two new magistrate judges, Torres also sought their support for additional funding to upgrade and automate the court's 15-year-old case management system. "We will continue to increase public access to court records and laws. In our push toward a more accessible judiciary, we are in the midst of an extensive digital archiving program of all court records, with priority given to criminal felony and misdemeanor cases," the chief justice explained.
Read Chief Justice Torres' State of the Judiciary Address
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