Noting that respect for women is an integral part of Guam's culture, Superior Court Judge Katherine Maraman worries that this same respect has somehow lost its place in the courtroom. The judge is comfortable as a woman of Guam's Judiciary, saying, "The people really respect women here, so I feel I've always been able to contribute or say my piece and that's not been affected by the fact that I'm a woman."


Still, she has noticed that over the years that this respect has unfortunately dwindled. "When I first became a judge thirteen years ago the juveniles and litigants in court seemed to have a greater respect for the office of judge, and I noticed more and more that some of the young people and litigants will mouth-off and be upset with a ruling, whereas a few years ago there was a lot more respect in the community for authority. That's one of the things that I've noticed and as I've seen violence grow in the schools breakdown of respect, that's really been a hallmark of Guam's culture."


And the island's culture is something she knows all too well. Despite not being native of the Guam, Judge Maraman has been living here for the past thirty years. Her response to a call for legislative law clerks drew her to Guam after she graduated from law school in New Mexico, and she's made the island her home ever since. "My mother's family are travelers," she explained, "her mother came from Ireland and lived in Chicago and then my mother left Chicago and moved to the southwest so, it sort of runs in the family, I guess, to keep moving west."


And while family court can take its toll on her at times, her 5-year-old dog Tasha is what kicks things up a notch. "My friends call it 'The little foo foo dog', it's a little Lhasa Apso, a tiny mighty terror - she's one of those little dogs that thinks she's a Doberman, so I have to be careful that nobody gets bitten when she's around - I enjoy having her, she's a lot of fun."