Ramona Villagomez Manglona

How Judge Manglona rules, drawn from 29 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Court
U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands
Position
District judge
Appointed by
Barack Obama (Democratic)
Commissioned
July 29, 2011
Education
University of California, Berkeley (B.A., Economics and Japanese, 1990); University of New Mexico School of Law (J.D., 1996)
Signed orders read
29

About Judge Manglona

Ramona Villagomez Manglona is Chief Judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. President Barack Obama appointed her to the court in July 2011, making her the first person from the Northern Mariana Islands to serve as a federal judge. She began a second ten-year term on April 22, 2024, following her appointment by President Joseph R. Biden.

Judge Manglona's practices and standing orders

The court's website lists no individual practices or standing orders of Judge Manglona's own (checked October 10, 2026), so the court's local rules and general orders are the place to look (court page ↗).

Standing orders for every case in this court

Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 10, 2026).

Key rules from these orders · The court's local rules ↗

How Judge Manglona decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

On a Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal, the judge conducted the more searching territorial-preemption balancing test as an alternative holding even after concluding it was unnecessary, so that the ruling would stand on independent grounds if the threshold holding were reversed on appeal.

“Nevertheless, even applying the Richards test, Plaintiff's proffer of providing more facts about how deeply entrenched cockfighting is the CNMI would not cure the deficiency.”

On a pro se inmate's exhaustion defense, the judge read the grievance for substance over form, treating whether the prison had adequate notice of the underlying problem as the touchstone rather than whether the inmate used the exact administrative language or explicitly requested damages.

“Although Teregeyo did not expressly request monetary relief in his grievance form, he did inform the prison of the assault by Marlon Martin and officer's 'incompetence,' which is sufficient to put the prison on notice.”

Procedural preferences

On an unopposed damages calculation following default, the judge independently scrutinized the plaintiff's requested damages and interest rate rather than accepting the request as uncontested, reducing the award and applying the lower federal statutory post-judgment interest rate absent an express contractual provision.

“Because the sublease agreement contains no express provision permitting a nine percent post judgment interest rate, and Unicorn has failed to provide sufficient proof of an express agreement elsewhere, Unicorn is not entitled to its requested post judgment interest at nine percent per year. Rather, the federal statutory rate applies.”

In Shen v. Albarran, Manglona rejected the government's reading that conflated 'applicant for admission' with 'alien seeking admission.' Because Shen sought cancellation of removal rather than admission, she ordered an individualized bond hearing under § 1226(a).

“The Court rejects the Federal Respondents’ interpretation, which conflates the terms ‘applicant for admission’ and ‘alien seeking admission,’ and in so doing, fails to give effect to each word of the statute.”

Cautions

Policy concerns about the CNMI-only parole program do not substitute for statutory or regulatory authority supporting mandatory detention.

“However sensible this line of reasoning may be for policy purposes, the Court is unaware of and the Federal Respondents have not provided any statutory or regulatory basis for treating noncitizens paroled under the CNMI-only program differently from other noncitizens paroled pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1182(d)(5)(A).”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Salas v. United States of America
1:22-cv-00008 · 2022-11-17
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted

“Based on the foregoing, Defendant's Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED and Plaintiff's complaint is DISMISSED with PREJUDICE.”

Teregeyo v. Haddy
1:23-cv-00003 · 2024-11-07
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Denied

“The Court finds under the 2016 NMIAC, an inmate need not file his grievance within fifteen days of the alleged incident nor wait to receive a 'final decision.' Even if the 2021 NMIAC were applicable, the Court finds that Teregeyo exhausted available administrative remedies. And finally, the Court finds that Teregeyo's grievance sufficiently alerted the DOC of the problem for which he now seeks redress. Therefore, the Court denies Haddy's Motion.”

Genc v. Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC
1:22-cv-00002 · 2023-06-20
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Denied

“Based on the foregoing, the Court DENIES IPI's motion to dismiss (ECF No. 38) the SAC with prejudice because Plaintiff's SAC alleges sufficient facts to plausibly show that IPI discriminated against them and the proposed class of 107 Turkish H-2B workers.”

Sablan v. Sablan Corp.
1:22-cv-00013 · 2024-08-19
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted in part

“For the foregoing reasons ... the Court grants the motion to dismiss in part by dismissing all claims against the Defendant Corporations (first through third, sixth, and seventh causes of action) and the conspiracy claim against Conrad; but denies the Motion in part such that the claims against Conrad in the fourth and fifth causes of action for conversion and unjust enrichment remain.”

Unicorn Corporation v. Forson Holdings (CNMI), LLC
1:20-cv-00014 · 2022-02-18
Default judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“For the reasons set forth above, the Court GRANTS Unicorn's motion for entry of default judgment, but for the lesser amount of $1,712,082, plus attorney's fees and cost, plus post judgment interest at the applicable federal rate.”

Manila v. Guerrero
1:18-cv-00003 · 2022-09-29
Motion to disqualify (plaintiff) Denied

“Accordingly, the Court DENIES Manila's motion to disqualify (ECF No. 122), and the Attorney General's motion to intervene (ECF No. 114) is DENIED as MOOT.”

United States v. Cabrera
1:18-cr-00006 · 2024-07-15
Motion for compassionate release (defendant) Denied

“The conditions Cabrera describes while incarcerated are reprehensible; however, Cabrera's personal circumstances as presented do not rise to the level of extraordinary or compelling reasons to warrant compassionate release. Based on the foregoing, Cabrera's motion for counsel and motion for compassionate release are DENIED.”

Wang v. United States of America
1:25-cv-00001 (related: 1:22-cr-00005-2) · 2025-03-31
Motion to vacate sentence 2255 (defendant) Denied

“For the foregoing reasons, the Court finds that Wang's motion is untimely pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 2255(f)(1) and is therefore DENIED.”

Ping Shun Corporation v. Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC
1:20-cv-00012 · 2021-03-15
Summary judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS Plaintiff Ping Shun summary judgment on its account-stated claim in the amount of $443,900.50 and its breach of contract claim for the spa services agreement, for the total amount of $443,900.50.”

Ozcan Genc, Hasan Gokce, and Suleyman Kos v. Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC, and Imperial Pacific International Holdings, Ltd.
1:20-cv-00031 · 2022-02-24
Default judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“For the reasons stated, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' Motion for Partial Default Judgment (ECF No. 16) pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55(b), the Eitel factors, and the Fair Labor Standards Act, see 29 U.S.C. § 216(b).”

James Whang dba South Pacific Lumber Company v. Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC
1:21-cv-00027 · 2022-10-04
Summary judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS Plaintiff SPLC's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (ECF No. 13) as to its third cause of action for breach of contract, and awards SPLC partial judgment against IPI in the amount of $267,353.00 in damages plus post-judgment interest.”

Mohammad Arman, Abul Kalam Azad, Kowsar Halim, and Habibur Rahman v. JN Saipan CNMI, LLC, Big Boy Marine Sports Inc., Md. Jashim Uddin, and Nasmun Nahar Fatema
1:21-cv-00024 · 2022-08-09
Default judgment (plaintiff) Granted

“For the reasons set forth above, the Clerk shall enter default judgment: 1) against Defendant Md. Jashim Uddin and in favor of Plaintiffs in the amount of $6,745.90, plus attorneys' fees and costs, plus post-judgment interest at the applicable federal rate; and 2) against Defendants JN Saipan CNMI, LLC, Md. Jashim Uddin, and Nasmun Nahar Fatema, jointly and severally, and in favor of Plaintiffs, in the amount of $175,976.45, plus attorneys' fees and costs, plus post-judgment interest at the applicable federal rate.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

This limited sample covers only the cases represented in the grounded outcomes and does not establish a broader caseload mix. The Genc docket also shows Magistrate Judge Heather L. Kennedy granting an extension of time to amend the complaint on June 21, 2022, reflecting her routine referral work in Chief Judge Manglona's civil cases alongside her own consent-jurisdiction docket.

Pending matters in the official report

Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.

Motions pending more than six months0
Bench trials submitted more than six months0
Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months0
Social Security appeals pending more than six months0
Civil cases pending more than three years1
ReportMotions over six monthsCases over three years
Mar 202601
Sep 202501
Mar 202500
Sep 202445
Mar 202451
Sep 202341
Mar 202313
Sep 202243
Mar 202272
Sep 202112
Mar 202102
Sep 202021

A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.

How long civil cases take in this court

For the whole of U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, not for Judge Manglona: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

CasesMedian time
All civil cases closed9not reported
Closed with no court action7not reported
Closed before pretrial2not reported
12 months endingCases closedMedian time
Sep 20259not reported
Sep 2024138.3 months
Sep 20232415.8 months
Sep 20221911.1 months
Sep 2021296.7 months
Sep 2020159.6 months
Sep 20192012.3 months

The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).

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