118 STAT. 2206 PUBLIC LAW 108–378—OCT. 30, 2004 Public Law 108–378 108th Congress An Act To amend the Organic Act of Guam for the purposes of clarifying the local judicial structure of Guam. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. JUDICIAL STRUCTURE OF GUAM. (a) JUDICIAL AUTHORITY; COURTS.—Section 22(a) of the Organic Act of Guam (48 U.S.C. 1424(a)) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘(a)(1) The judicial authority of Guam shall be vested in a court established by Congress designated as the ‘District Court of Guam’, and a judicial branch of Guam which branch shall con stitute a unified judicial system and include an appellate court designated as the ‘Supreme Court of Guam’, a trial court designated as the ‘Superior Court of Guam’, and such other lower local courts as may have been or shall hereafter be established by the laws of Guam. ‘‘(2) The Supreme Court of Guam may, by rules of such court, create divisions of the Superior Court of Guam and other local courts of Guam. ‘‘(3) The courts of record for Guam shall be the District Court of Guam, the Supreme Court of Guam, the Superior Court of Guam (except the Traffic and Small Claims divisions of the Superior Court of Guam) and any other local courts or divisions of local courts that the Supreme Court of Guam shall designate.’’. (b) JURISDICTION AND POWERS OF LOCAL COURTS.—Section 22A of the Organic Act of Guam (48 U.S.C. 1424–1) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘SEC. 22A. (a) The Supreme Court of Guam shall be the highest court of the judicial branch of Guam (excluding the District Court of Guam) and shall— ‘‘(1) have original jurisdiction over proceedings necessary to protect its appellate jurisdiction and supervisory authority and such other original jurisdiction as the laws of Guam may provide; ‘‘(2) have jurisdiction to hear appeals over any cause in Guam decided by the Superior Court of Guam or other courts established under the laws of Guam; ‘‘(3) have jurisdiction to issue all orders and writs in aid of its appellate, supervisory, and original jurisdiction, including those orders necessary for the supervision of the judicial branch of Guam; ‘‘(4) have supervisory jurisdiction over the Superior Court of Guam and all other courts of the judicial branch of Guam; Oct. 30, 2004 [H.R. 2400]
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