This afternoon, the Office of the Governor filed for declaratory and injunctive relief in the CNMI Superior Court against the House Standing Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations (JGO).
The Office of the Governor asserts the following causes of action:
· A declaration that the subpoena violates Commonwealth statute
· A declaration that enforcement of the subpoena would infringe upon the testimonial immunity conferred by the Commonwealth Constitution
· A declaration that the subpoena lacks a valid legislative purpose and therefore violates the Commonwealth Constitution
· A declaration that the subpoena usurps responsibilities constitutionally delegated to other executive offices and therefore violates the Commonwealth Constitution
Full details of the filing are attached.
In addition, Governor Torres issued the following statement:
“As I explained earlier today, I will not attend the House JGO committee meeting because the Executive Branch is a separate and equal branch of government under the Commonwealth Constitution and must be treated equally to the Legislative Branch. The Office of the Governor should not and cannot be subordinated to the Legislature, let alone the overreaching acts of an out-of-control Committee of the House of Representatives.”
“As Governor, I swore an oath to uphold and faithfully execute the laws of the United States and the CNMI. As Governor, and because of my oath, I have a duty to defend the constitution, not just on my behalf but for my successors.”
“I have authorized my legal representatives to initiate a case in the Commonwealth Superior Court asserting my rights as Governor of the Commonwealth and to uphold the Constitution. I do this not only to protect my rights as Governor but to protect the institution of the Governor under the Constitution, and thus protect future Governors from arbitrary overreach by future Legislatures.”
“Filing a lawsuit was not the route I wanted to take but it is a necessary one. As can be seen from today’s Committee meeting, the members of the Committee offer nothing but disrespect to the constitution and toxic politics. Despite all the hate, I am nevertheless still open and willing to discuss an accommodation with the JGO Committee and hope that the Committee will overcome its toxic politics and join me in reaching a solution.”
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