§ 1801. Approval of Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

§ 1801. Approval of Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

The Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, the text of which is as follows, is hereby approved.

(Pub. L. 94–241, § 1, Mar. 24, 1976, 90 Stat. 263.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, referred to in text, which was contained in this section (section 1 of Pub. L. 94–241), is set out as a note below.

Codification

Section was formerly set out as a note under section 1681 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title of 2019 Amendment

Pub. L. 116–94, div. P, title IX, § 901, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 3197, provided that: “This title [amending section 1806 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Disaster Recovery Workforce Act’.”

Pub. L. 116–24, § 1, June 25, 2019, 133 Stat. 977, provided that: “This Act [amending section 1806 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Northern Mariana Islands Long-Term Legal Residents Relief Act’.”

Short Title of 2018 Amendment

Pub. L. 115–218, § 1, July 24, 2018, 132 Stat. 1547, provided that: “This Act [amending section 1806 of this title and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 1806 and 1807 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act of 2018’.”

Short Title of 2017 Amendment

Pub. L. 115–53, § 1, Aug. 22, 2017, 131 Stat. 1091, provided that: “This Act [amending section 1806 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Northern Mariana Islands Economic Expansion Act’.”

Applicability of Requirement of United States Citizenship or Nationality as Prerequisite of Any Benefit, Right, Etc., to Citizens of Northern Mariana Islands

Pub. L. 98–213, §§ 17–25, Dec. 8, 1983, 97 Stat. 1463–1466, exempted citizens of Northern Mariana Islands from laws prohibiting United States Government from compensating or employing noncitizens and from requirement of United States citizenship in certain Federal laws providing Federal services or financial assistance to Northern Mariana Islands, authorized President to issue proclamations exempting citizens of Northern Mariana Islands from United States citizenship or nationality requirements of certain statutes, provided that if President failed to timely issue a proclamation, the requirement of United States citizenship or nationality as a prerequisite of any benefit, right, privilege, or immunity in any statute made applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands would not apply to citizens of the Northern Mariana Islands, provided that Pub. L. 98–213 did not extend to Northern Mariana Islands any statutory provision or regulation, particularly statutes relating to immigration and nationality, not otherwise applicable to or within Northern Mariana Islands, provided for termination of President’s authority to issue proclamations upon establishment of Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, defined terms, and provided for merger of benefits acquired under Pub. L. 98–213 into those acquired by virtue of United States citizenship unless recipient exercised his privilege to become a national but not a citizen of United States.

Authorization of Appropriations for Transition of Mariana Islands District to Commonwealth Status

Pub. L. 94–27, § 2, May 28, 1975, 89 Stat. 95, authorized appropriation of $1,500,000 to aid in transition of Mariana Islands District to a new Commonwealth status as a territory of United States and provided that no part could be obligated or expended until Congress approved final agreement between Marianas Political Status Commission and United States.

Recital Clauses

Pub. L. 94–241 which enacted this subchapter contained several “Whereas” clauses reading as follows: “Whereas the United States is the administering authority of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the terms of the trusteeship agreement for the former Japanese-mandated islands entered into by the United States with the Security Council of the United Nations on April 2, 1947, and approved by the United States on July 18, 1947; and “Whereas the United States, in accordance with the trusteeship agreement and the Charter of the United Nations, has assumed the obligation to promote the development of the peoples of the trust territory toward self-government or independence as may be appropriate to the particular circumstances of the trust territory and its peoples and the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned; and “Whereas the United States, in response to the desires of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands clearly expressed over the past twenty years through public petition and referendum, and in response to its own obligations under the trusteeship agreement to promote self-determination, entered into political status negotiations with representatives of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands; and “Whereas, on February 15, 1975, a ‘Covenant to Establish A Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America’ [set out below] was signed by the Marianas Political Status Commission for the people of the Northern Mariana Islands and by the President’s Personal Representative, Ambassador F. Haydn Williams for the United States of America, following which the covenant was approved by the unanimous vote of the Mariana Islands District Legislature on February 20, 1975 and by 78.8 per centum of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands voting in a plebiscite held on June 17, 1975”.

Text of Covenant

Pub. L. 94–241, § 1, Mar. 24, 1976, 90 Stat. 263, as amended by Pub. L. 98–213, § 9, Dec. 8, 1983, 97 Stat. 1461; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(d) [title I], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–181, 3009–196; Pub. L. 110–229, title VII, § 702(g)(1), May 8, 2008, 122 Stat. 864, contained the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America as follows:

“Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union With the United States of America

“Whereas, the Charter of the United Nations and the Trusteeship Agreement between the Security Council of the United Nations and the United States of America guarantee to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands the right freely to express their wishes for self-government or independence; and

“Whereas, the United States supports the desire of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands to exercise their inalienable right of self-determination; and

“Whereas, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands and the people of the United States share the goals and values found in the American system of government based upon the principles of government by the consent of the governed, individual freedom and democracy; and

“Whereas, for over twenty years, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, through public petition and referendum, have clearly expressed their desire for political union with the United States;

“Now, therefore, the Marianas Political Status Commission, being the duly appointed representative of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Personal Representative of the President of the United States have entered into this Covenant in order to establish a self-governing commonwealth for the Northern Mariana Islands within the American political system and to define the future relationship between the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States. This Covenant will be mutually binding when it is approved by the United States, by the Mariana Islands District Legislature and by the people of the Northern Mariana Islands in a plebiscite, constituting on their part a sovereign act of self-determination.

“Article I

“political relationship

“Section 101. The Northern Mariana Islands upon termination of the Trusteeship Agreement will become a self-governing commonwealth to be known as the ‘Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’, in political union with and under the sovereignty of the United States of America.

“Section 102. The relations between the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States will be governed by this Covenant which, together with those provisions of the Constitution, treaties and laws of the United States applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands, will be the supreme law of the Northern Mariana Islands.

“Section 103. The people of the Northern Mariana Islands will have the right of local self-government and will govern themselves with respect to internal affairs in accordance with a Constitution of their own adoption.

“Section 104. The United States will have complete responsibility for and authority with respect to matters relating to foreign affairs and defense affecting the Northern Mariana Islands.

“Section 105. The United States may enact legislation in accordance with its constitutional processes which will be applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands, but if such legislation cannot also be made applicable to the several States the Northern Mariana Islands must be specifically named therein for it to become effective in the Northern Mariana Islands. In order to respect the right of self-government guaranteed by this Covenant the United States agrees to limit the exercise of that authority so that the fundamental provisions of this Covenant, namely Articles I, II and III and Sections 501 and 805, may be modified only with the consent of the Government of the United States and the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands.

“Article II

“constitution of the northern mariana islands

“Section 201. The people of the Northern Mariana Islands will formulate and approve a Constitution and may amend their Constitution pursuant to the procedures provided therein.

“Section 202. The Constitution will be submitted to the Government of the United States for approval on the basis of its consistency with this Covenant and those provisions of the Constitution, treaties and laws of the United States to be applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands. The Constitution will be deemed to have been approved six months after its submission to the President on behalf of the Government of the United States unless earlier approved or disapproved. If disapproved the Constitution will be returned and will be resubmitted in accordance with this Section. Amendments to the Constitution may be made by the people of the Northern Mariana Islands without approval by the Government of the United States, but the courts established by the Constitution or laws of the United States will be competent to determine whether the Constitution and subsequent amendments thereto are consistent with this Covenant and with those provisions of the Constitution, treaties and laws of the United States applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands.

“Section 203. (a) The Constitution will provide for a republican form of government with separate executive, legislative and judicial branches, and will contain a bill of rights.

“(b) The executive power of the Northern Mariana Islands will be vested in a popularly elected Governor and such other officials as the Constitution or laws of the Northern Mariana Islands may provide.

“(c) The legislative power of the Northern Mariana Islands will be vested in a popularly elected legislature and will extend to all rightful subjects of legislation. The Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands will provide for equal representation for each of the chartered municipalities of the Northern Mariana Islands in one house of a bicameral legislature, notwithstanding other provisions of this Covenant or those provisions of the Constitution or laws of the United States applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands.

“(d) The judicial power of the Northern Mariana Islands will be vested in such courts as the Constitution or laws of the Northern Mariana Islands may provide. The Constitution or laws of the Northern Mariana Islands may vest in such courts jurisdiction over all causes in the Northern Mariana Islands over which any court established by the Constitution or laws of the United States does not have exclusive jurisdiction.

“Section 204. All members of the legislature of the Northern Mariana Islands and all officers and employees of the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands will take an oath or affirmation to support this Covenant, those provisions of the Constitution, treaties and laws of the United States applicable to the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Constitution and laws of the Northern Mariana Islands.

“Article III

“citizenship and nationality

“Section 301. The following persons and their children under the age of 18 years on the effective date of this Section, who are not citizens or nationals of the United States under any other provision of law, and who on that date do not owe allegiance to any foreign state, are declared to be citizens of the United States, except as otherwise provided in Section 302:

“(a) all persons born in the Northern Mariana Islands who are citizens of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands on the day preceding the effective date of this Section, and who on that date are domiciled in the Northern Mariana Islands or in the United States or any territory or possession thereof;

“(b) all persons who are citizens of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands on the day preceding the effective date of this Section, who have been domiciled continuously in the Northern Mariana Islands for at least five years immediately prior to that date, and who, unless under age, registered to vote in elections for the Marianas Islands District Legislature or for any municipal election in the Northern Mariana Islands prior to January 1, 1975; and

“(c) all persons domiciled in the Northern Mariana Islands on the day preceding the effective date of this Section, who, although not citizens of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, on that date have been domiciled continuously in the Northern Mariana Islands beginning prior to January 1, 1974.

“Section 302. Any person who becomes a citizen of the United States solely by virtue of the provisions of Section 301 may within six months after the effective date of that Section or within six months after reaching the age of 18 years, whichever date is the later, become a national but not a citizen of the United States by making a declaration under oath before any court established by the Constitution or laws of the United States or any court of record in the Commonwealth in the form as follows:

“ ‘I __ being duly sworn, hereby declare my intention to be a national but not a citizen of the United States.’

“Section 303. All persons born in the Commonwealth on or after the effective date of this Section and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States will be citizens of the United States at birth.

“Section 304. Citizens of the Northern Mariana Islands will be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States of the United States.

“Article IV

“judicial authority

“Section 401. The United States will establish for and within the Northern Mariana Islands a court of record to be known as the ‘District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands’. The Northern Mariana Islands will constitute a part of the same judicial circuit of the United States as Guam.

“Section 402. (a) The District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands will have the jurisdiction of a district court of the United States, except that in all causes arising under the Constitution, treaties or laws of the United States it will have jurisdiction regardless of the sum or value of the matter in controversy.

“(b) The District Court will have original jurisdiction in all causes in the Northern Mariana Islands not described in Subsection (a) jurisdiction over which is not vested by the Constitution or laws of the Northern Mariana Islands in a court or courts of the Northern Mariana Islands. In causes brought in the District Court solely on the basis of this subsection, the District Court will be considered a court of the Northern Mariana Islands for the purposes of determining the requirements of indictment by grand jury or trial by jury.

“(c) The District Court will have such appellate jurisdiction as the Constitution or laws of the Northern Mariana Islands may provide. When it sits as an appellate court, the District Court will consist of three judges, at least one of whom will be a judge of a court of record of the Northern Mariana Islands.