[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 28 (Monday, March 16, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        MIKE BORDALLO'S APPOINTMENT TO THE SUPREME COURT OF GUAM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 16, 1998

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, March 19, another native son 
of Guam will advance the course of Guam's judicial history when he is 
installed as a judge of the Superior Court of Guam. Although this 
history is relatively brief, the judicial branch of the Government of 
Guam coming into existence in 1950, the name of Michael J. Bordallo 
will join a distinguished list of Chamorro men and women who have sworn 
to interpret the law for the people of Guam from the bench of the 
Superior Court. Like his peers, Mike brings with him an inherent love 
and understanding of his native language and culture, as well as 
practical experience defending Chamorro rights, both as a practicing 
attorney and as a private citizen. Whether it is enjoining the 
desecration of ancient burial sites or encouraging the talents of local 
artists and musicians, Michael Bordallo is an active proponent of 
Guam's cultural identity and heritage.
  Michael was born on July 14, 1961 to Attorney Fred E. Bordallo and my 
sister, Annie Underwood Bordallo, who instilled in him a love of 
justice and the law and a strong sense of identity. Mike graduated from 
Saint Anthony School in Tamuning in 1975 and from Father Duenas 
Memorial High School in 1979. He then went on to the University of 
Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and earned a Bachelor's degree in 
Business Administration in 1983. After returning to Guam, Mike went to 
work in his father's law office. He also served as a legislative 
consultant to the Guam Legislature's Committee on Education. He later 
returned to Notre Dame University, attended law school, and received 
his Juris Doctor degree in 1987. After passing the California Bar Exam, 
Mike returned to Guam and went to work as an Assistant Attorney General 
representing Child Protective Services in the Family Court. He was 
sworn in as a member of the Guam Bar Association in 1988, then went 
into private practice with his father.
  For the last six years, Mike practiced law alongside his first 
cousin, Michael F. Phillips, in the firm of Phillips & Bordallo, P.C. 
With much affection and admiration, many of the friends and family of 
the two attorneys often refer to them simply as ``Mike and Mike.'' 
During his career, Mike Bordallo has represented and participated in 
numerous actions involving issues such as desecration of ancient 
Chamorro burial grounds, the military land takings following World War 
II, the implementation of the Chamorro Land Trust Act, and a Cost of 
Living Allowance for Government of Guam retirees. He also has 
represented several legislative committees since 1992, and has 
represented the Territorial Board of Education and the Guam Department 
of Education.
  In 1989, when the House Interior and Insular Affairs Subcommittee 
Chairman Ron DeLugo conducted the first-ever hearing on the Guam 
Commonwealth Act in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mike Bordallo helped found the 
Guam Commonwealth Hearings Association, which raised funds to subsidize 
the travel costs of Guam residents who otherwise would not have been 
able to attend and submit testimonies at the hearing.
  In view of his activities in a wide range of island issues, Michael 
J. Bordallo was appointed to the bench by the Government of Guam and 
unanimously confirmed by the 24th Guam Legislature earlier this year. I 
join his parents, Fred and Annie, his brothers and sisters, his wife 
Carla and their children, Joshua and Stephanie, in congratulating him 
and placing trust in his sense of justice to guide him on the bench.

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