Edward Taylor Buckingham, III | |
---|---|
20th Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands | |
In office 17 August 2009 –13 August 2012 | |
Nominated by | Benigno Repeki Fitial |
Preceded by | Matthew Gregory |
Succeeded by | Joey San Nicolas |
Personal details | |
Born | 1948 (age 75–76) |
Education | University of California Sturm College of Law (JD) |
Profession | Lawyer |
Edward Taylor Buckingham,III is a former Attorney General of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
Edward Taylor Buckingham,III is the grandson of Edward Taylor Buckingham (b. 1874),Yale Law School Class of 1897, [1] Democratic 48th and 52nd Mayor of Bridgeport,Connecticut from 1909-1911 and 1929-1933. [2]
Ed met his wife Pamela Peterson Buckingham while studying at the University of California,Berkeley. They reside in Lakewood,Colorado.
Their son,Dr. Edward Taylor Buckingham,IV,M.D. (“Taylor”),is a psychiatrist in Denver,CO. [3]
Ed Buckingham studied law and was admitted to the bar on October 17,1977 in Denver,Colorado, [4] and after employment with the National Security Agency later practiced municipal defense law. He subsequently served briefly as a government lawyer on Kosrae,Federated States of Micronesia. Mr. Buckingham was hired by CNMI AG Pamela Sue Brown in 2004 as an Assistant AG to represent the Commonwealth with respect to the federal prison consent decree. [5] As an AAG he also advised the Department of Public Safety.
While working in the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Criminal Division as the traffic prosecutor,AAG Buckingham was nominated by Governor Benigno Fitial to be CNMI AG on Wednesday,August 12,2009. [6] He was unanimously confirmed by the CNMI Senate two days later, [7] and was sworn in at the cabinet meeting on August 17,2009. He succeeded Deputy Attorney General Gregory Baka,who had been acting Attorney General since September 28,2008, [8] and Attorney General Matthew T. Gregory. Citing family matters,on August 1,2012 he announced his resignation,with his last day of work on August 3,2012,to be followed by 30 days annual leave. [9] He was succeeded on August 13,2012 by acting Attorney General Ellsbeth Viola Alepuyo, [10] and then on October 23,2012 by Attorney General Joey Patrick San Nicolas, [11] who was confirmed by the Senate on November 16,2012.
In the early morning hours of Saturday,August 4,2012,Buckingham attempted to flee the CNMI while being escorted to the airport by Carolinian police personnel assigned by Governor Fitial,to avoid prosecution for charges filed against him by the CNMI Office of the Public Auditor. [12] The charges involved multiple instances of misconduct and corruption while serving as the CNMI Attorney General.
However,he was intercepted by the FBI at the airport,and served a penal summons before boarding his plane. The summons required him to appear in the Superior Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Monday,August 6,2012. [12] Buckingham claimed he would be back in time for his court appointment,but did not in fact return. While he failed to appear in court,OAG Civil Chief Gil Birnbrich attempted to enter an appearance on his behalf in the criminal case,which was denied by the court, [12] and Birnbrich neglected to inform the judge that Buckingham was available on telephonic standby. A bench warrant was subsequently issued by CNMI Superior Court Associate Judge David Arthur Wiseman for Buckingham's arrest, [12] [13] which was affirmed by the CNMI Supreme Court. [14]
At the end of February,2013,Governor Eloy Inos (who assumed governorship of the CNMI after Fitial's resignation on February 20,2013) contacted Iowa governor Terry Branstad to seek his cooperation in apprehending,detaining and extraditing Buckingham,who was believed to be located in Johnson County,Iowa. [15]
Buckingham was arrested in Colorado,and returned to Saipan for criminal prosecution. [16]
On Friday,31 January 2014,shortly before the scheduled trial date,two of the eleven counts were dismissed by CNMI Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth Lewis Govendo. [17] Pursuant to a plea agreement,on Thursday,February 20,2014,Buckingham was found guilty of seven of the charges,issued concurrent sentences of six months to one year imprisonment (all suspended),fined a total of $14,000.00,and was placed on one year of unsupervised probation. [18] He resigned from and is no longer a member of the CNMI Bar Association, [19] and effective May 21,2014 was suspended for eighteen months from the practice of law in Colorado. [18]
The Covenant Party was a political party in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) advocating governmental and financial reform. It was named after the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America,Act of Mar. 24,1976,Pub. L. 94-241,90 Stat. 263,codified as amended at 48 U.S.C. §1801 note. In the legislative elections of 2003,the Covenant Party won nine of eighteen seats. The party mostly made up of members from the Republican Party,but many prominent Democrats would also join the party. In the 2005 general elections,the Covenant Party increased its position as one of the strongest parties in the Commonwealth when Benigno R. Fitial,the party's gubernatorial candidate,won the election. The Covenant Party won seven of eighteen seats in the commonwealth's House of Representatives and three of nine seats in its Senate. In the Commonwealth Legislature 2007 elections,the Covenant Party won only four of twenty seats in the House of Representatives.
General elections were held in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on Saturday,5 November 2005,electing the governor and Legislature. There was also a referendum on calling a Constitutional Convention,which was approved by voters. The gubernatorial election was the closest in the commonwealth's history,and resulted in the election of Benigno Fitial,narrowly defeating independent Heinz Hofschneider by 84 votes and incumbent Republican Governor Juan N. Babauta by an additional 98 votes. This would be the last year that the gubernatorial race would work in a first-past-the-post voting system as it would be reformed to work under a two-round system for the 2009 general elections. This election made commonwealth history by electing both the territory's first Carolinian governor and its first third party governor.
Benigno Repeki Fitial is a Northern Marianan politician who served was the sixth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history,Fitial was elected on November 6,2005,assumed office on January 9,2006,and was re-elected to a (five-year) second term in 2009. He was impeached by the CNMI House of Representatives on February 11,2013,and was scheduled to face trial before the CNMI Senate to determine if he should be removed from office. He resigned on February 20,2013,after 7 years,1 month,and 11 days in office.
The Northern Mariana Islands Senate is the upper house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The Senate consists of nine senators representing three senatorial districts,each a multi-member constituency with three senators.
Matthew Theodore Gregory is a former Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands. He was appointed in January 2006 and served until 27 September 2008. After Gregory's departure,he was succeeded as acting Attorney General by Deputy Attorney General Gregory Baka for nearly eleven months. Eventually,Assistant Attorney General Edward Taylor Buckingham,III was confirmed as Attorney General on August 14,2009.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the United States insular area of the Northern Mariana Islands:
The 2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Saturday,November 7,2009. This was the last general election to be held on a odd year. This election also saw the extension all office holding officials by one year to move the elections to even-years,corresponding with the elections of other federal and state offices,including the nationwide United States House of Representatives elections and the United States general elections. This election also oversaw the first run-off to be held in the Northern Mariana Islands,which were held on Monday,November 23,2009. Benigno Fitial became the first governor to win a second term since 1985 and the first time a candidate won a majority since 1993 thanks to the newly implemented run-off voting system.
Heinz Sablan Hofschneider is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. Hofschneider served as the Speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004 and is a four-time candidate for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Francisco Castro Ada was a Northern Mariana Islander politician who served as the first lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 9,1978 to January 11,1982,under Carlos S. Camacho,the territory's first governor.
The 2010 Congressional election in the Northern Mariana Islands occurred on November 2,2010 and elected the territory's Delegate to the United States House of Representatives. Representatives and non-voting Delegates are elected for two-year terms;the elected will serve in the 112th Congress from January 3,2011 until January 3,2013.
The 2012 Congressional election in the Northern Mariana Islands was held on November 6,2012 to elect the territory's sole Delegate to the United States House of Representatives. Representatives and non-voting Delegates are elected for two-year terms.
Joey Patrick San Nicolas is a politician in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) who served as Mayor of Tinian. He previously served as Attorney General.
General elections were held in the Northern Mariana Islands on 4 November,2014. Voters elected the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,the Lieutenant Governor,the Attorney General,the Delegate to the US Congress,the Senate,the House of Representatives,mayors,municipal councils and the Board of Education. Additionally,a referendum involving changes to the constitution was held.
The 2014 Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election was held on November 4,2014,to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. As no candidate received a majority of the vote,a run-off election was held 14 days later. Incumbent Republican Governor Eloy Songao Inos and running mate Ralph DLG. Torres were elected. Inos,who served as lieutenant governor from 2009 to 2013,first became Governor following the resignation of his predecessor,Benigno Fitial.
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Northern Mariana Islands by the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26,2015,which struck down same-sex marriage bans nationwide. On June 29,Governor Eloy Inos issued a statement hailing the decision as "historic",and said he would work with the Attorney General and local officials to bring the U.S. territory into compliance. Attorney General Edward Manibusan issued a memorandum on June 30 confirming that the territory was bound by the court decision and said that marriage license forms would be changed to include same-sex couples.
Gilbert Joseph Birnbrich was the Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2014 to 2015.
Edward Eladio Manibusan is a Northern Marianan politician serving as the Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands since January 12,2015 and previously from July 1,1989 to January 8,1990. He is the first elected attorney general;previous AGs were appointed by the governor.
Janet Ulloa Maratita is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands and former member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives.
The Office of the Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands provides "legal counsel and representation to the...government and its agencies in many issues vital to the people’s interest. These issues include the protection of children from abuse and neglect,preservation of the environment,protecting the Commonwealth’s financial assets,the protection of consumers,and public safety." The office has the following divisions:
The 2022 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022 to elect the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote in the general election,the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on November 25,2022.