The Judicial Council is composed, by law, of all full-time justices of the Supreme Court, the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court, and a delegated Superior Court Judge.  The powers of the Judicial Council include recommendation of policies for the administration of the judicial branch, and administration of the merit system for the judicial branch, including hearing all classified employee appeals.  The current composition of the Judicial Council was created in 2003, and then in 2004, the Organic Act of Guam was amended by the United States Congress in P.L. 108-378, making the Judicial Branch a separate and co-equal branch of government.  New section 1424-1(b) of the Organic Act put all supervisory authority of the judicial branch into the hands of the Chief Justice of Guam.  Together, the Chief Justice, advised by the Judicial Council, govern the many branches and divisions of the Judiciary. 

The Judicial Council meets once a month for its regular meeting.  In its advisory capacity, in 2011, the Judicial Council adopted 29 Judicial Council resolutions, all of which can be located on the Judiciary’s website. These resolutions range from ceremonial functions, such as a memorialization of the retirement of CNMI Chief Justice Demapan and thanking him for his service to Guam courts, to nuts-and-bolts functions, such as consideration of the Hay Study.  All Judicial Council meetings are open to the public, and are an excellent way to keep up with the issues and trends involved in running the third branch of government.