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Mrs. April Dawn Skilling sworn in as FSM Secretary of Justice

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): October 16, 2012 - Mrs. April Dawn Skilling was sworn in by President Manny Mori on October 12 at the President's Conference Room to be the Secretary of Justice for the FSM National Government after Congress confirmed her nomination on September 18.

Mrs. Skilling's nomination was submitted to Congress on May 24 during the Fourth Regular Session in the wake of two previously defeated nominations for the same post.

Mrs. Skilling's legal tenure includes being an Assistant Attorney at the Kosrae State Attorney General's Office, a Deputy General Counsel for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation in the State of Florida and, most recently, a senior attorney in the Florida State Supreme Court. She has over twenty years of legal experience with bar admissions in both the FSM and the State of Florida.

In his remarks during the swear in ceremony, President Mori said he felt "very proud to have sworn in April Dawn Skilling as the new Secretary of Justice" and made reference to the number of female officials his administration has put at the highest posts in the executive and judicial branches with support from Congress.

In her brief remarks, Mrs. Skilling expressed appreciation for the trust put in her to help the FSM and said she looked forward to working with everyone individually and collectively in moving forward.

The unanimous confirmation of Mrs. Skilling's nomination is the sixth out of six female nominees by President Mori, inclusive of those for an Associate Justice - FSM Supreme Court, Ambassador to United Nations, Secretary of the Department of Health Services and Social Affairs, Director of SBOC and the Post Master General.

The FSM now has two female "Secretary Skilling" - an attorney running the Department of Justice and a doctor at the helm of the Department of Health Services and Social Affairs, both with marital ties to the State of Kosrae and birth origins elsewhere.