Presiding Judge Alberto C. Lamorena III

Presiding Judge Alberto C. Lamorena III presides over the Superior Court of Guam and is a member and former chairman of the Judicial Council, the Guam Public Defender Service Corporation Board of Trustees, and the Guam Board of Law Examiners. He also is a member of the Committee on Judicial Discipline. He previously served as chairman of the Criminal Justice Automation Commission, which he founded, as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Guam Legal Services Corporation, and as a member of the Committee on Attorney Discipline for the U.S. District Court of Guam under the late Judge Cristobal C. Duenas. Prior to his appointment to the bench in 1988, he maintained a private practice and was an accomplished legislator serving in leadership positions, such as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and Minority Leader, in the 15th through 19th Guam Legislatures. Presiding Judge Lamorena established the Paciÿc Judicial Council in 1991, whose membership includes justices and judges from all jurisdictions in the Western Paciÿc. He was elected the first President to serve the Council and was reelected three times thereafter. He currently serves as the PJC’s Treasurer.

Presiding Judge Lamorena initiated the concept of therapeutic courts in Guam. He established the Adult Drug Court, Family Violence Court, Mental Health Court, and DWI Treatment Court; served as chairman of the task force to create the Veterans Treatment Court; and is developing the Adult Reentry Program for high- and medium-risk offenders who are likely to recidivate, the Family Drug Court for families in need of services, and the Hope Project for defendants with multiple criminal violations. He currently presides over General Jurisdiction cases and the DWI Treatment Court. He co-chairs the Juvenile Justice Reform Focus Area on the Court Referral Process and the Judiciary’s 2016-2019 Strategic Plan Focus Area on Court Partnerships and Community Relations, and he chairs the Criminal Sexual Offender Management Committee.

Presiding Judge Lamorena received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1971 and a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Texas, Austin in 1974. He received his J.D. from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 1977. He also received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Guam in 1997 in recognition for his distinguished service towards the advancement and well-being of the People of Guam. He is active in various civic and community organizations, and was recently recognized by the Lions Club International Foundation as a Melvin Jones Fellow for dedicated humanitarian services.