Attorney General – Edward E. Manibusan
Attorney General Edward E. Manibusan
Attorney General Edward E. Manibusan is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Island’s first elected Attorney General and was officially sworn into office on January 12, 2015.
Attorney General Manibusan is an experienced lawyer having been admitted to practice law in the CNMI Trial Court and the High Court of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1983. He was subsequently admitted to practice law in the United States District Court for the CNMI, the CNMI Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
His career began after law school when he joined the Office of the Public Defender and later as a Prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General. He was appointed Director of the Department of Public Safety and after that, as Attorney General. He went into private law practice and was later appointed Associate Judge of the Superior Court. He retired from public service after serving as Presiding Judge of the Superior Court.
Attorney General Manibusan also served as justice pro tem for the CNMI Supreme Court and Supreme Court of Guam, and as US District Court judge designate while serving as Judge of the Superior Court. His training included the National Judicial College and the National College of District Attorneys.
Attorney General Manibusan served as civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., and served as the chairman of the Judicial Discipline Enforcement Special Court of Guam.
He served as Chairman of the Youth Advisory Council. As Chairman, he worked to implement federal funding for criminal justice youth programs. He reviewed projects including youth community centers where kids could come after school to study, join afterschool programs, and participate in other youth programs.
Attorney General Manibusan served as pro bono legal counsel to the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, and also served as President and member of the Board of Directors of Mount Carmel School for many years. Among some of his other community activities, he is the founder and President of the Northern Marianas Junior Golf League.
Attorney General Manibusan earned his degree in Bachelor of Arts from California State University in Fullerton, CA and his Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, WA. He is married to Del and they have three children and four grandchildren.