Last Saturday I participated in the Guam Bar Association 5k Race Judicata with my wife, Rose. It was a very nice course and Judge Torres rode a carabao for the first hundred or so yards. It was nice to see people again at an early morning race. It was obvious that a lot of effort went into this wonderful event.
When I started working in college, my office and classes were held in a Dean’s Circle house. In 1962, Typhoon Karen destroyed about 95% of Guam’s homes. A contractor agreed to build the houses on Dean’s Circle to compensate for irregularities in the recovery from the typhoon. For many years, faculty and university employees lived in these Dean’s Circle houses. Now they are mainly used as offices.
As I have mentioned in other columns, the A and B buildings of the university were physically collapsing until Kaleo Moylan made efforts to lobby for a new building for the School of Business and Development. ‘public administration. The Leon Guerrero building has been open since 2005 and Jesus Leon Guerrero has always been a strong supporter of the construction of the new building as well.
Faculty members were able to provide feedback on plans for the new building, and I requested a theatrical lecture hall for large classes. Today, most of my classes are in room 131, which should one day host law classes. I even developed a low-cost law school model for Guam and we could have a cohort that graduates from law school every three years. Most law schools are designed around an annual admissions cycle with high operational overhead. The model I used is extremely inexpensive and could work as a pilot first.
On the TV show “Empire,” the main character’s attorney, Thirsty Rawlings, claimed to have his law degree from the University of Guam. If we ever start a UOG law school, we should have a “Thirsty Rawlings” scholarship. Additionally, in the AMC series, “Better Call Saul,” which also plays on Netflix, the title character was a graduate of a fictional law school at the University of American Samoa. He proudly wears his alma mater sweatshirt in several scenes in the series. Guam could have a law school if we want one.
As I mentioned last week, I am truly irritated that various groups have staged protests outside the homes of several United States Supreme Court justices. In July 2020, a deranged attorney shot and killed the 20-year-old son of federal judge Esther Salas in New Jersey. He also injured her husband in the attack. It was later revealed that the same shooter also targeted at least one Supreme Court justice.
Title 18, Section 1507 of the United States Code makes it an offense to demonstrate or parade at a judge’s home with intent to influence a judge. Those organizing these protests should be arrested and prosecuted. President Biden should put an end to this.
Ron McNinch teaches at the School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Guam.
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