Leon I. Taisacan v. Carlos S. Camacho, in His Official Capacity as Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Leon Taisacan, a resident of the Island of Rota, sought a declaratory judgment that two vetoes by Carlos S. Camacho, Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, were illegal. The district court, addressing the merits of the claim, granted summary judgment in favor of the Governor. Taisacan filed a timely appeal.

Rota is one of the three main islands comprising the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands [CNMI]. See generally Sablan v. Santos, 634 F.2d 1153 (9th Cir. 1980); Ralpho v. Bell, 569 F.2d 607 (D.C.Cir.1977); and Willens & Siemer, The Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands: Constitutional Principles and Innovation in a Pacific Setting, 65 Geo.L.J. 1373, 1381-87 (1977), for an overview of the history of the Northern Mariana Islands.

In 1976, Congress enacted Public Law 94-241, the “Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America.” 48 U.S.C. § 1681 (1976) (app. at 1409). Among other things, the Covenant pledged $4,000,000 a year for 7 years to the CNMI for capital improvements. Of this sum, $500,000 was reserved for. Rota. See Covenant § 702 [found appended to 48 U.S.C. § 1681 ].

In 1980, the…