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Palau Judiciary Court Annual Report 2017 Presidential Proclamation No

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Palau Judiciary Court Annual Report 2017 Presidential Proclamation No Palau Judiciary Court Annual Report 2017 Presidential Proclamation No. 17-201 Declaring the 2017 to be the “Year of the Family” for the Republic of Palau The Judiciary Family I. Contents II. Message from the Trial Division's Presiding Justice ......................................................... 3 III. Mission and Vision ........................................................................................................... 5 IV. Organizational Chart – Palau Judiciary ............................................................................. 5 V. About the Courts .............................................................................................................. 6 A. Supreme Court (Trial Division and Appellate Division) ............................................................................ 6 B. Land Court .............................................................................................................................................. 6 C. Court of Common Pleas .......................................................................................................................... 6 VI. Judicial Nominating Commission ...................................................................................... 7 VII. Palau Judiciary Highlights ................................................................................................ 8 A. Conferences, Trainings, Workshops, and Events .................................................................................... 8 VIII. Accountability: Code of Conduct and Complaints ........................................................... 12 IX. Case Management, Clearance Rates, Average Duration ............................................... 13 A. Supreme Court ..................................................................................................................................... 13 1. Trial Division ...................................................................................................................................... 13 2. Appellate Division .............................................................................................................................. 16 3. Land Court ........................................................................................................................................ 17 B. Court of Common Pleas ........................................................................................................................ 18 I. Accessibility and Fairness .............................................................................................. 28 A. Free Legal Aid ...................................................................................................................................... 28 B. Court Fee Waiver .................................................................................................................................. 28 X. Court Offices and Departments ...................................................................................... 29 A. Administrative Office ............................................................................................................................. 29 B. Office of the Chief Justice ..................................................................................................................... 29 C. Office of the Clerk of Courts .................................................................................................................. 29 1. Trial Division ...................................................................................................................................... 29 ~ 1 ~ 2. Appellate Division .............................................................................................................................. 33 D. Marshal Division .................................................................................................................................... 34 E. Probation Office .................................................................................................................................... 34 F. Law Library ........................................................................................................................................... 35 G. Technology – Management Information Systems (MIS) ........................................................................ 36 H. Budget Office and Property Management ............................................................................................. 36 1. Budget Office..................................................................................................................................... 36 2. Property Management Office ............................................................................................................. 37 I. Office of the Court Counsels ................................................................................................................. 37 J. Human Resource Office ........................................................................................................................ 37 1. Court Personnel (As of March 2018) ................................................................................................. 37 ~ 2 ~ II. Message from the Trial Division's Presiding Justice The year 2017 marked the official separation of the justices of our Supreme Court. As of last year, the associate justices of the Trial Division no longer serve a dual role (as both trial and appellate justices), as they did before the implementation of the 14th Amendment to the Palau Constitution. As a result of the actual separation, the associate justices of the trial division - Kathleen M Salii, Lourdes F Materne, and Oldiais Ngiraikelau - now dedicate the vast majority of their time doing trial work. Last year also saw Chief Justice Arthur Ngiraklsong step down as the administrative judge for the Trial Division. That responsibility now lies with the Presiding Justice. Despite his departure, Chief Justice Ngiraklsong remains the administrative head of the entire judiciary. Since the Trial Division associate justices no longer do appellate work, they now can devote more time to their trial work, which allows them to issue most of their decisions in a timely manner. This increased efficiency is important because people who come to court do so to resolve a dispute or seek justice for a wrong that has been committed against them. When the court drags its feet in issuing a decision, it essentially denies justice to these people. I am happy to report that since the separation of the justices, the Trial Division justices have performed well in issuing their decisions in a timely fashion. As always, the Trial Division strives to improve its services and continues in its efforts to make the court easily accessible to all. You should not be satisfied with my claim that the Trial Division justices are doing their work well. The people best suited to measure the Trial Division's performance are those who regularly employ its services. These include the attorneys, litigants, and general public. In recognition of that fact, I invite you to write to the Trial Division with any comments, constructive criticisms, concerns, and issues you may have regarding any aspect of our services or performance. Please address your comments, issues, or concerns to the Presiding Justice's chamber clerk, Lue Dee Dechol Kotaro, at [email protected]. Oldiais Ngiraikelau Presiding Justice, Trial Division ~ 3 ~ Introduction The Republic of Palau is an island nation located in the western Pacific Ocean, roughly 500 miles southeast of the Philippines. Geographically, Palau constitutes part of the Caroline Islands chain and is part of the larger island group of Micronesia. Palau consists of more than 340 islands, only 9 of which are permanently inhabited. The land area of Palau totals approximately 460 square kilometers (178 square miles), about 2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C. According to the 2005 population census, Palau’s population was 19,907 (Palau did not conduct a 2010 census). Current estimates put Palau’s population at approximately 21,000. About 70% of Palauans live in the former capital city of Koror on Koror Island. The capital relocated in 2006 from Koror to a newly constructed complex in Melekeok State on the larger but less developed island of Babeldaob – the second largest island in Micronesia after Guam. In 1978, after more than three decades of United States administration under the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), Palau, as part of a process toward self- government, voted against joining the Federated States of Micronesia and opted for independent status. Palau adopted its own constitution and became the Republic of Palau in 1981. It signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1982 and the Compact was ratified in 1993. Palau gained full sovereignty when the Compact went into effect on October 1, 1994, concluding Palau’s transition from trusteeship to independence. Palau is a multi-party democratic republic with directly elected executive and legislative branches. The President is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President while legislative power is vested in the Palau National Congress (the Olbiil era Kelulau). The Palau National Congress has two houses – the Senate (with nine members elected nationwide), and the House of Delegates (made up of 16 members,
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