To amend the Organic Act of Guam for the purposes of clarifying the local judicial structure of Guam.
Public Law 108-378 · H.R. 2400 · 108th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 30, 2004 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU)
Cosponsors (7): Rep. Jeff Flake, Rep. Elton Gallegly,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
(Sec. 1) Amends the Organic Act of Guam to revise the local judicial structure of Guam to vest judicial authority, not only in the District Court of Guam (as currently), but also in a unified judicial system composed of: (1) an appellate court designated as the "Supreme Court of Guam"; (2) a trial court designated as the "Superior Court of Guam"; and (3) such other lower local courts as may have been or may hereafter be established by the laws of Guam.
Authorizes the Supreme Court of Guam to create divisions of the Superior Court and other local courts of Guam.
States that the Supreme Court of Guam shall be the highest court of the judicial branch of Guam (excluding the District Court of Guam) and shall: (1) have original jurisdiction over proceedings necessary to protect its appellate jurisdiction and supervisory authority and such other original jurisdiction as the laws of Guam may provide; (2) have jurisdiction to hear appeals over any cause in Guam decided by the Superior Court of Guam or other courts established under the laws of Guam; (3) have jurisdiction to issue all orders and writs in aid of its appellate, supervisory, and original jurisdiction, including those orders necessary for the supervision of the judicial branch of Guam; (4) have supervisory jurisdiction over the Superior Court of Guam and all other courts of the judicial branch of Guam; (5) hear and determine appeals by a panel of three of the justices of the Supreme Court of Guam and a concurrence of two such justices shall be necessary to a decision of the Supreme Court of Guam on the merits of an appeal; (6) make and promulgate rules governing the administration of the judiciary and court practice and procedure, including appeal en banc procedures; and (7) govern attorney and judicial ethics and the practice of law in Guam.
Lists the courts of record for Guam as the District Court of Guam, the Supreme Court of Guam, the Superior Court of Guam (except the Traffic and Small Claims divisions of the Superior Court of Guam), and any other local courts or divisions of local courts that the Supreme Court of Guam shall designate
Outlines the jurisdiction and powers of the local courts.
Provides that the qualifications and duties of the justices and judges of the courts shall be governed by the laws of Guam and the rules of such courts.
(Sec. 2) Repeals provisions granting the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit jurisdiction to review all final decisions of the Supreme Court of Guam.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.
- Oct 30, 2004Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-378.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 19, 2004FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Oct 12, 2004FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Oct 10, 2004FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 29, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 14, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Sep 13, 2004FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2400.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Radanovich moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Sep 7, 2004CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 382.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Resources. H. Rept. 108-638.
- Jul 14, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jun 10, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1201)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.