Northern Mariana Islands Court Rules (2026)
Browse all 23 rule sets with 605 rules, each with plain-English summaries and committee notes. Each rule includes the full text, a plain-English summary, committee notes, amendment history, and cross-references to related rules.
Northern Mariana Islands Court Rules & Rules of Practice
How this jurisdiction's courts and rules are organized, written for lawyers new to it: the court system, every ruleset a litigator touches, and how a case actually moves. Last verified September 2, 2026. For informational purposes only.
- Court System Overview
- The Ruleset Map
- Civil Litigation Mechanics
- Criminal Practice Mechanics
- Evidence
- Appellate Mechanics
- Rules of Professional Conduct
- Attorney Discipline & Enforcement
- Newcomer Orientation Notes
- Sources & Verification
Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Civil Procedure
The Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Civil Procedure govern civil actions in the CNMI Superior Court, based on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and covering pleadings, parties, discovery, trials, and judgments.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Evidence
The Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Evidence govern the admissibility of evidence in CNMI courts, covering relevancy, privileges, witnesses, opinion and expert testimony, and hearsay.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Supreme Court Rules
The Northern Mariana Islands Supreme Court Rules govern appeals to the CNMI Supreme Court, covering the taking of appeals, briefs, motions, and appellate judgments.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Criminal Procedure
The Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Criminal Procedure govern criminal proceedings in the CNMI Superior Court, covering arrest, arraignment, pretrial release, trial, and sentencing.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Attorney Discipline and Procedure
The Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Attorney Discipline and Procedure govern attorney conduct and disciplinary proceedings before the CNMI Supreme Court.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Probate Procedure
The Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Probate Procedure govern probate matters in the CNMI Superior Court, covering wills, estates, and guardianship proceedings.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Code of Judicial Conduct
The only judicial-conduct source for the Commonwealth, adopted permanent September 9, 2025 and superseding the prior code — 38 rules under the four canons, numbered as the court numbers them (Rule 1.1, Rule 2.8). Canon 1 is that a judge shall uphold and promote the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, and Rule 1.1 opens plainly: a judge shall comply with all applicable laws, including this Code. Canon 2, at sixteen rules the largest, is the performance of judicial office — impartiality and fairness, bias, prejudice and harassment, competence and diligence, ensuring the right to be heard, the responsibility to decide, ex parte communications, judicial statements on pending cases, and — at Rule 2.11 — the disqualification provisions pursuant to 1 CMC § 3308. Canon 3 governs extrajudicial activities across fifteen rules, including testifying as a character witness, affiliation with discriminatory organizations, the practice of law, and the acceptance and reporting of gifts, loans and bequests. Canon 4 covers political and campaign activity, separately for judges standing in retention elections and for judges who become candidates for nonjudicial office.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Juvenile Delinquency Procedure
The Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Juvenile Delinquency Procedure govern juvenile delinquency proceedings in the CNMI Superior Court.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Judicial Disciplinary Procedure
What happens when a complaint is made against a judge or justice of the Commonwealth. Thirty-nine rules, effective September 27, 2025 and amended December 10, 2025. Rule 1 states their scope — they apply to every judge in the Commonwealth and to all proceedings before the Investigator and the Supreme Court involving discipline or temporary removal — and Rule 4 sets the grounds: willful misconduct in office including conduct that brings the office into disrepute, willful or persistent failure to perform judicial duties, habitual intemperance, disability, findings rendered on fraud or corrupt motive, and any violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct. The procedure runs from filing a complaint through initial screening, notice of investigation, the investigation and the powers of the investigator, to the formal proceedings: the standard of proof, the hearing, the record, the procedural rights of the judge, and the dispositions and sanctions available. It also covers discipline by consent, emergency interim suspension, notification to the complainant, reconsideration, and the relationship between these rules and impeachment.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Judiciary Drug Court Policies and Procedures
The Commonwealth's first treatment court, established 2015 and running on these fourteen sections as revised effective December 17, 2025 — the fifth revision since the interim policies of May 2017. Section 1 carries the authority under 1 CMC § 3207 and the definitions; Section 2 the guiding principles, including the key components of a drug court and the target population. Section 4, the longest at over 12,000 characters, is eligibility and the entrance protocol — the eligibility chart, the process, legal and clinical eligibility, the initial staffing and the first Drug Court hearing. Section 6 sets out the program components. The consequences are separated deliberately: Section 7 termination from Drug Court, Section 8 suspension, Section 9 abatement by death, Section 10 conditional discharge and Section 11 successful completion. Also here: program duration, the Drug Court fees, confidentiality and the forms.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Alternative Dispute Resolution
Court-ordered mediation in the Commonwealth's civil cases, effective December 13, 2021 and known as the NMI Rules of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Rule 1 applies them to all civil actions except small claims and family law matters, and not to criminal actions. Thirty-two rules covering which actions are submitted to mediation, exemption and the amount in controversy, selection and qualification of mediators and the registry of court-approved mediators, mediator standards of conduct and immunity, fees and financial accommodations for indigent parties, confidentiality and what mediation evidence is admissible, sanctions for non-appearance, reporting the result, and enforcement of a settlement as a judgment. Rule 30 addresses other types of ADR.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Judiciary Mental Health Court Docket Policies and Procedures
The rules of the Commonwealth's mental health treatment docket, established July 3, 2021 within the Superior Court's general docket and cited by their own terms as 'NMI MHC PP' — twelve sections. Section 1 carries the authority, under Article IV, Section 3 of the NMI Constitution, and the definitions. Section 2 is eligibility and the entrance protocol: referral, legal eligibility, screening, clinical eligibility and suitability. Section 3, the longest at over 13,000 characters, sets out the role of every member of the docket team, which is what makes a treatment court work — the judge, prosecutor, defense counsel, case manager and treatment providers each have defined duties. Section 4 covers the program components, Section 5 incentives, sanctions and therapeutic adjustments, Section 6 the grounds for sanction or termination, and Section 7 a participant's program outcomes. Also here: data collection and program evaluation, the drug and alcohol testing protocol, confidentiality, program sustainability and the forms. The docket supplements the Drug Court and expressly reaches eligible veterans and servicemembers seeking mental health treatment in lieu of incarceration.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Child Support Guidelines
How child support is calculated in the Commonwealth, effective April 6, 2020. Eleven Guidelines and the Schedule they operate on. Guideline 3 sets the presumptions the court applies; Guideline 4 governs sole physical custody and is the long one — what counts as gross income and what is excluded, potential income for a parent voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, imputed income from in-kind benefits, the deductions that produce adjusted gross income, and then the calculation itself: locate the combined adjusted gross income on Schedule A, read across to the column for the number of children, and apply the corresponding percentage. Guideline 5 does the same for shared physical custody. The rest cover gifts in lieu of money, medical insurance, review and modification, the findings a court must make, pre-existing awards, and the appendix. Schedule A is published here too: 237 income bands of $50 from zero to $14,999.99, each with a percentage and a dollar amount for one through ten children. Under Guideline 11 the Judiciary may amend the appendix without Supreme Court order.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Interpreter and Translator Code of Conduct
Fourteen canons binding court interpreters and translators, adopted March 5, 2020 in a jurisdiction where language access is routine rather than exceptional. Canon 1 names the Code; Canon 3 sets its coverage and Canon 4 its definitions. The duties follow: competence (5), integrity (6), independence and impartiality (7), confidentiality (8) — the longest at nearly 2,500 characters — and accuracy (9). Canon 10 marks the limits of the role by defining the scope of practice, Canon 11 requires an interpreter to assess and report impediments to performance, Canon 12 imposes a duty to report ethical violations, and Canon 13 requires professional development.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Admission
How a lawyer is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth — Title IX of the Supreme Court Rules, amended August 4, 2025, in six divisions. Rule 70 establishes the Board of Bar Examiners, its membership, powers, meetings and records, the confidentiality of communications with its members, and the immunity its members enjoy. Rule 71 sets the requirements for admission: the general and educational requirements, the application and its forms and deadlines, the application for a character and fitness report, and the fees. Rule 72 governs the bar examination itself, the attorney's exam for those already admitted elsewhere, and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. Rule 73 covers admission without examination — pro hac vice, limited admission for attorneys employed by the Commonwealth government, and other admissions. Rule 74 covers approval of an application, the letter of licensure and ineligibility, and Rule 75 the review of a decision, hearings, and the oath of admission.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules for Continuing Legal Education
Continuing legal education for members of the CNMI Bar, effective May 14, 2023. Rule 9 provides that these rules are known as the NMI Rules for Continuing Legal Education and cited "NMI R. CLE". Nine rules establishing the Committee on Continuing Legal Education, the requirement that every active attorney complete 20 hours every two years - prorated by the months the attorney holds active status, with current and former full-time CNMI judges and justices exempt - reporting of credits, approved educational activities, review of committee decisions, compliance, and sanctions.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules for Electronic Filing and Service
Electronic filing and service, effective December 11, 2021 and cited "NMI R. Elec. Filing." Rule 1 applies these rules to all cases filed in all CNMI courts and provides that they control over any inconsistent court rule on e-filing and e-service. Eighteen rules in four articles: clerk duties; mandatory registration, which reaches attorneys including those admitted pro hac vice, court-approved mediators and evaluators, and individuals representing themselves, subject to a good-cause exemption; submission of paper documents; electronic document format and signatures; e-filing, filing fees and the file stamp; correction of e-filing errors and technical problems; e-service and conventional service; and access to court files.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseCommonwealth Rules Governing Judicial Retention Election Conduct
Nine sections on how a justice or judge may campaign to keep the bench, cited by their own terms as 'Com. R. Ret. Elec.' Section 1 states the basic guideline as honesty: no justice or judge should knowingly misrepresent a fact, and each is personally responsible for the truth and propriety of retention election literature. The rest cover credentials, the retention election process, public appearances, financial aspects, actions by others, compliance with election laws, and partisan political activity. Read Section 2 with the Supreme Court's own 2002 order, printed with these rules, which holds that after Republican Party of Minnesota v. White the clause forbidding a candidate from stating views on disputed legal or political issues may not be enforced — while the remainder of Section 2 stays in full force, and recusal may still be required.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Electronic Recordation
The Commonwealth Recorder's Office and the electronic recordation of documents, effective June 15, 2021. Rule 2 states that these rules establish the duties and responsibilities of the Recorder's Office and govern procedures of recordation. Thirteen rules covering the Commonwealth Recorder's duties, electronic recording, quality of the instrument, the validity of electronic documents, document recordation and rejection, acceptance of documents during internet service interruption, correcting index errors, forms, and suspension of the rules.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules for In Forma Pauperis
Proceeding without prepayment of court fees or costs, effective May 1, 2018. Rule 1 applies these rules to the application and procedure for in forma pauperis in the Superior Court. Twelve rules covering the application, court review, the duty to identify household members, and the criteria in Rule 6 - a means-tested benefit received by the applicant or a household member, or total gross household income at or below 125% of the U.S. poverty standard for Hawaii - together with partial relief, changed circumstances, tolling, notification of the decision, and reconsideration and appeal.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Traffic Procedure
Traffic offenses and civil infractions in the Superior Court, effective January 5, 2024. Rule 1 provides that these rules are known and cited as the NMI Rules of Traffic Procedure, and applies them to cases under the Vehicle Code (9 CMC 6101-8102), the Mandatory Liability Auto Insurance Act, the Litter Control Act and the Designated Fire Lanes Act. Eleven rules covering commencement of the action, the citation or complaint form and notice to appear, failure to appear and the warrant, separation of cases, presence of the defendant at sentencing, pleas of guilty, and the traffic clerk's authority, which reaches payable violations only.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Guardianship Procedure
Guardianship proceedings in the Superior Court, effective March 25, 2023 and cited "NMI R. Guard. P." Nine rules running from the hearing on the petition through appointment of a guardian for a person found insane or incompetent, the order of appointment, emergency guardianship, termination, removal and modification of a guardianship, guardian and attorney fees and expenses, and forms. The court's own numbering begins at Rule 3.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNorthern Mariana Islands Rules of Procedure for Administrative Appeals
Judicial review of agency action in the Superior Court, effective September 7, 2010. Rule 1 limits these rules to final orders or decisions of an agency in contested cases governed by the Administrative Procedures Act, 1 CMC 9101-15, names them the Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Procedure for Administrative Appeals and cites them "NMI R. P. Admin. App.", computes time under Commonwealth Rule of Civil Procedure 6(a), and provides that its definitions supplement 1 CMC 9101 and yield to the Act wherever they conflict. Seven rules: scope, title, authority, forms, time computation and definitions; commencement of the appeal; stay of the decision pending appeal; designation and filing of the record; briefs; hearing and disposition; and suspension of the rules.
Updated 2026 Edition
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