Hagåtña, Guam – The U.S. Supreme Court today denied Attorney General Doug Moylan’s petition seeking the Court’s review of the Guam Supreme Court’s 2024 opinion holding that the Governor has the power to appoint Special Assistant Attorneys General (SAAGs) to assist agencies when the Attorney General cannot act or refuses to act. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero filed her action in the Guam Supreme Court following the Attorney General’s withdrawal of legal services from 22 government agencies, including reviewing and approving millions of dollars worth of contracts for critical government services.
Today’s decision is the latest blow against the Attorney General in a week of losses, including the issuance of a restraining order in the Superior Court, dismissal of an appeal in the Ninth Circuit, and yesterday’s decision from the Guam Supreme Court disqualifying a SAAG appointed by the Attorney General from serving as prosecutor in an appeal and referring the attorney to the ethics prosecutor.
“The Attorney General is not the authority on the law that he claims to be, as this past week demonstrates,” said Governor Leon Guerrero in response to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision. “He is, however, very good at wasting our precious taxpayer dollars on expensive lawyers, dead-end lawsuits, and political games, while his prosecutors are forced to dismiss criminal cases because they don’t have enough support.”
“I think we can all agree that this attorney general is a disappointment,” added Adelup Director of Communications Krystal Paco-San Agustin. “Our agencies have to scrimp, save, and stretch every dollar while this AG runs up our government credit card chasing unearned personal glory that will likely never come. I hope our people are watching.”
This is the Attorney General’s second loss against the Governor in the U.S. Supreme Court. Last year, he sought review of the Guam Supreme Court’s decision finding that a 30-year-old abortion ban was impliedly repealed by subsequent Guam law, but the Court declined. In both cases, the Attorney General was represented by off-island conservative firm Consovoy McCarthy. The AG’s contract with Consovoy McCarthy is valued at over $1 million to date.
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