SAIPAN — The man who donned a robe and wielded a gavel in for more than two decades in the Marianas has passed away, as the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands announced the death of Senior Judge Alex R. Munson, the court’s second chief judge, who died December 5, in Sandpoint, Idaho, at the age of 84.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona said Munson’s judicial service to the people of the Marianas and Micronesia spanned more than four decades, and noted that after taking senior status in 2010 he continued returning to the islands to assist the court.
The court said Munson was born in South Gate, California, and earned degrees in education before obtaining his law degree in 1975. He began his legal career in California and was appointed in 1982 as Chief Justice of the High Court of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, before being nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to serve as chief judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. Munson was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate and was sworn in on Nov. 18, 1988, succeeding Judge Alfred Laureta, the statement said. He later received a second 10-year term nomination from President Bill Clinton and served as chief judge until taking senior status in 2010, relocating to Idaho and retiring fully in 2025. The statement said Munson also served across the region, including as a designated judge for the U.S. District Court of Guam, as an associate justice for the Supreme Court of Palau, and as a temporary associate justice of the High Court of American Samoa, and was active in Pacific Judicial Conferences. Munson is survived by his wife, Kathy Munson, along with in-laws and nieces and nephews.
Below is the full statement from the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands:
U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands Mourns Passing of Senior Judge Alex R. Munson
The U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands is mourning the loss of the Honorable Alex R. Munson, the second chief judge of the District Court, who died on December 5, 2025 in Sandpoint, Idaho. Judge Munson was 84 years old.
“Judge Alex Munson’s judicial service to the people of the Marianas and all of Micronesia spanned over four decades. He was always respectful to the people before him, as well as those who worked with him. After taking senior status in 2010, he was always willing to come back to the islands to render his assistance. Our sincerest thank you, olomwaay, and si Yu’us ma’ase to Judge Munson for serving the court and our community with compassion and distinction,” said Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona.
Born in South Gate, California, on September 25, 1941, Judge Munson attended Long Beach State College, obtaining a B.A. in Education in 1964 and an M.A. in Education in 1965. Judge Munson then received an Ed.D. in Higher Education from the University of Southern California in 1970 before obtaining a J.D. from Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School in 1975. Before and immediately following law school, Judge Munson was a teacher with the Inglewood Unified School District in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. In 1977, Judge Munson began his legal career as an associate at the law firm of Robert S. Talbert & Associates. He joined law firm Kirtland & Packard as an associate the following year.
In 1982, Judge Munson was appointed as the Chief Justice of the High Court of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, thus starting what would become over four decades of judicial service across Micronesia. During his tenure as Chief Justice in the final years of the Trust Territory, Judge Munson heard over 40 appeals and authored over a dozen opinions in wide-ranging cases from the various island communities within the Trust Territory. By 1988, when President Ronald Reagan nominated him to serve as the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, only Palau remained under the Trust Territory; the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia became independent sovereign states while the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands came into full force and effect in 1986.
Unanimously confirmed by the Senate, Judge Munson was sworn in as the second Chief Judge of the District Court on November 18, 1988, succeeding the Honorable Alfred Laureta. President William J. Clinton nominated Judge Munson for a second ten-year term in 1998; the Senate unanimously reconfirmed Judge Munson in October 1998. He ultimately served as Chief Judge until 2010, when he took senior status and relocated to Sandpoint, Idaho, and fully retired in 2025.
As Chief Judge, Judge Munson shepherded the District Court through its transformation from mere outpost of the federal judiciary to a fully functioning, modern district court—a transformation paralleling the sweeping economic and social changes in the Northern Mariana Islands and the wider Pacific Rim. Judge Munson’s tenure also saw the development of a full-fledged, independent local judiciary for the Northern Mariana Islands and the corresponding realignment of the District Court’s jurisdiction and work to more closely resemble a district court in any of the states of the United States.
In addition, Judge Munson continued his service across the Pacific. In 1988, he became a designated judge for the U.S. District Court of Guam, and subsequently also served as a part-time associate justice for the Supreme Court of Palau and a temporary associate justice of the High Court of American Samoa. Judge Munson was also a perennially active member at Pacific Judicial Conferences, the semi-regular gathering of judicial officers serving the diverse jurisdictions across the vast Pacific.
Remarking on Judge Munson’s 37 years of service to the people and District Court of Guam, Guam District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood shared, “He was a judge who carried both compassion and principle in equal measure. When he traveled to Guam to help shoulder my caseload, he did more than handle sentencing and settle disputes—he brought a sense of calm, dignity, and genuine care to everyone who stood before him. He was old-fashioned in the best way: steady, respectful, and unwavering in his integrity. Yet he was also warm and deeply human. He was my mentor when I was new to the federal bench, and I will carry his lessons, his example, and his friendship with immense gratitude. Dångkulu na si Yu’us ma’åse’, Judge Munson.”
Judge Munson is remembered for his integrity, competence, civility, and commitment to the rule of law. In addition to his longtime service and contributions to the Northern Mariana Islands on and off the bench, Judge Munson was a steadfast advocate for the needs of the Northern Mariana Islands legal community, including through his work as a member of the Pacific Islands Committee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Staff members of the District Court shared stories today about this gracious and generous leader who always showed kindness and respect to them and their families. He will be deeply missed by those who had the good fortune to work closely with him as well as members of the judiciaries and legal communities throughout the Pacific.
Judge Munson is survived by his wife, Kathy Munson, his in-laws, and nieces and nephews.
