A major court ruling is shaping the path forward for the proposed Mangilao medical campus. The Superior Court of Guam ruled that the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority overstepped it’s powers when it tried to take private properties for the project – prompting an immediate response from Adelup and a shift in plans at the Guam Legislature.

A ruling with real consequences – handed down in a civil case that has followed alongside the proposed medical campus project, but now takes center stage. The superior court has stopped GHURA from taking privately owned land in Mangilao after finding the agency exceeded its legal authority.

In its decision, the court ruled GHURA can only condemn property for housing projects or for facilities directly supporting housing – not for a stand-alone hospital with the possibility of attached housing being developed sometime in the future. 

Judge Elyze Iriarte pointed out that GHURA cited no active housing plan, no blight removal effort, and no urban renewal purpose – factors that must be present under Guam law. With those findings, the court granted summary judgment to the landowners, Hong Yi Tian, Dr. Joel Joseph, and other unknown owners, blocking the condemnation.

The decision landed quickly in Adelup.

Within hours, Governor Lou Leon Guerrero withdrew her call for a special session that was set for this morning to address a bill supporting utility work for the medical campus. In a letter to Speaker Frank Blas, Jr., the governor said it was “prudent” to pause and allow lawmakers time to understand the ruling – and to confirm that the condemned land is not the same property where GPA and GWA are installing power, water, and wastewater lines.

At the same time, the governor issued a statement acknowledging the setback, calling the decision “disappointing,” and reaffirming her administration’s commitment to building the medical campus.

She emphasized that GHURA can still purchase land normally, and said the vision for Mangilao includes not just a hospital, but future housing options for elders, veterans, and families.

The governor also signaled that GHURA may pursue an appeal, saying the agency is reviewing “all available legal remedies.”

For now, work along Route 15 continues on land GHURA previously bought – unaffected by the ruling.

But the administration’s next steps will depend heavily on how GHURA proceeds, whether the legislature agrees on a revised bill, and how long the legal questions linger.