October 8, 2018
Hagåtña — Starting at 5:30 a.m. Thursday (ChST), Guamanians can watch the Davis vs Guam oral arguments that are taking place at the U.S. Courts for the Ninth Circuit in Hawaii.
This is the case filed against the government regarding the plebiscite that many people on Guam, including Governor Calvo and members of the Guam Commission on Decolonization, have been working towards. Attorney General Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson, Deputy Attorneys General Ken Orcutt and Fred Nishihira will be attending while Special Assistant Attorney General Julian Aguon will be arguing the case.
There are seven cases on the docket. Those who want to watch the arguments live, can go to the following link: https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/live_oral_arguments.php Note: The link may change after the live arguments as videos are then posted on the Ninth Circuit’s YouTube channel.
Governor Calvo encourages the community to watch the hearing. “I have strongly advocated for the right of the native people of Guam to choose, for ourselves, our political future. I hope that our community is able to watch the hearings.”
Lt. Governor Ray Tenorio said he is confident in the AG and her team of attorneys. “This case is a big deal for our island. This lawsuit lodged against our local government would keep our island in the status quo, where we have no true control over our political destiny. Please join us as we watch, and pray, that we are able to bring this issue to a resolution.”
Governor Calvo has provided funding for Guam’s Office on Decolonization and under the Calvo Tenorio Administration, Guam has received more attention to it’s decolonization efforts than it had in years past.
“This case freezes our decolonization process. It’s been 120 years since Guam’s governance was seized from Spain in 1898,” he noted. “We have been fighting for the same rights as Americans for almost that entire time. In fact, we’re in the middle of another effort to gain voting-rights for U.S. veterans living in Guam who can’t vote for the President who sends them to war.”
