by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Saying dispossessed ancestral landowners would suffer irreparable injury, Superior Court Judge Arthur Barcinas granted a temporary restraining order requested in a class action lawsuit against the Ancestral Lands Commission. The judge restrained and enjoined each of the commissioners from transferring Federal Aviation Administration and Marbo properties to Tiyan landowners.

The transfer was mandated by Public Law 30-158. The restraining order stands until the litigation is resolved. A scheduling conference is scheduled for September 22, when the parties will determine if they will proceed with a hearing on the restraining order or proceed to trial.

Tiyan landowners' legal counsel Pete Perez tells KUAM News they will examine the judge's order before deciding their next step, but adds, "It's not over."