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Congress Confirms FSM Chief Justice and Nation's First Female Justice

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Congress): August 5, 2010 - On Day Six of the Fourth Special Session, the 12 members present unanimously voted for the nomination of Martin G. Yinug to be the Chief Justice of the nation's highest court, the FSM Supreme Court. He becomes the second native son seated to this lifetime position and the first with educational credentials from the United States.

Yinug was born in the State of Yap on October 18, 1949. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 1972 with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and in 1980 received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Yinug first entered public service after graduation in 1972 and worked as an Administrative Assistant for the Yap Delegation to the regional Congress of Micronesia. After four years with the delegation he went back to the pursuit of higher education and returned in 1980 with his J.D. and headed the Yap Branch of the Micronesian Legal Services Corporation. In 1982, he was recruited for the post of Legislative Counsel for the Yap State Legislature and maintained his role for the next six years until 1988 when he was seated as an Associate Justice for the Yap State Court. In that capacity he served the State of Yap for the next four years until he was appointed to be an Associate Justice of the FSM Supreme.

On January 28 1992, Yinug became the first FSM citizen confirmed as an Associate Justice for the FSM Supreme Court.

He has since, served on the FSM bench for almost 19 years and contributed to the nation's growing legal jurisprudence with distinction and dedication. This distinction was evident in the overwhelming support for his nomination during the public hearings conducted throughout the states and the nation government. The committee report noted that among his colleagues Yinug was "respected and admired for his views and opinions."

The report highlighted consensus by the witnesses that Yinug "is the justice most familiar with the court, its history, its operations, its staff, and he knows the role of the court in the framework of the Nation's constitutional government."

Yinug 61, becomes the third Chief Justice of the FSM Supreme Court. He is the successor to the late Andon L. Amaraich who died in January of this year. Edward C. King was the first FSM Chief Justice heading the Judicial Branch during the nation's transition from US Trust Territory and throughout its formative stages of self-government.

Along with the confirmation of the FSM Chief Justice, Congress on the same day also confirmed an Associate Justice.

Congress made history on August 2 2010, when it unanimously confirmed Beauleen Carl-Worswick as the first female Associate Justice for the highest court of the nation.

Carl-Worswick was born on September 251, 1962 in Pohnpei and holds a Bachelors (1984) degree from the Hawaii Loa College with JD (1990) from the Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington.

The FSM Supreme Court was the launch pad for Carl-Worswick's legal career, with two summer stints as a Law Clerk intern during her school breaks in 1988 and 1990. Her first employment after Law School was also at the FSM Supreme Court where she was hired as a Law Clerk. Her work experiences after that were far and wide in the field of law beginning with the FSM Office of the Attorney General where she was a Legal Specialist in 1992, and quickly moved up to Assistant Attorney General before uprooting in 1995 and moving to Yap.

Carl-Worswick served as an Assistant Litigator for the State's Office of Attorney General for a while then ventured into the private sector where in September of 1995 she opened her own firm. A year later she was rehired by the National Government as a Staff Attorney for the National Public Defender's Office in Yap. December of 1988 Carl-Worswick returned to her home state of Pohnpei where she was hired as the General Counsel for the Pohnpei Utilities Corporation.

In August of 1999 she was confirmed to the position of FSM Chief Public Defender for the National Government and maintained the role through 2007 under two separate Administrations of the Executive Branch. During the reorganization of the new Administration, Carl-Worswick was hired by the Pohnpei Supreme Court to be a Court Staff Attorney and held that position until her confirmation to as an Associate Justice of the FSM Supreme Court.

Carl-Worswick will join the Honorable Dennis K. Yamase and the Honorable Ready E. Johnny as Justices for the FSM Supreme Court.

The FSM Supreme Court is the highest court of the nation and is divided into trial and appellate divisions. The Judges are appointed by the President with the advise and consent of Congress.

Congress recessed after the confirmation, but not before deferring, Congressional Bill 16-126, the bill on the supplemental funding for the Department of Education to the next day - Day Seven.