Benjamin Cruz
Encyclopedia
Benjamin "BJ" Cruz is an American judge and politician from Guam
.
, he is the second child and only son of Juan Quenga Cruz ("Tanaguan") and Antonia Cruz Franquez. His father, who had just been elected Commissioner (Mayor) of Piti, was killed in 1956 when Cruz was only five years old.
In 1960, while in Guam, Cruz’s mother married Vicente Cruz Guerrero ("Tico") and then they resettled the whole family in California in 1962. They returned to Guam
intermittently, where Cruz attended grade school at St. Francis School in Yona
.
He went to St. John Bosco High School
in California until 1968. His undergraduate Bachelor degree in Political Science and Economics was obtained in 1972 from the Claremont Men's College
, and his Juris Doctor
in 1975 from the Santa Clara University School of Law
.
’s Office.
Four months later, Governor of Guam Ricardo J. Bordallo, who had just begun his first term in office with Lieutenant Governor of Guam Rudolph G. Sablan, asked Cruz to serve as the Governor’s Legal Counsel, which he did for Bordallo’s first term through January 1979.
Between Bordallo’s two gubernatorial terms, Cruz established a private practice and served as Minority Legal Counsel to the 15th and 16th Guam Legislatures. In 1983, Governor Bordallo was elected to his second term as Governor of Guam with Lt. Governor Edward D. Reyes. Bordallo appointed Cruz to head the Washington, D.C. Liaison Office. There, he served as Liaison to the White House
, the United States Congress
, and the National Governors Association
.
In 1984, Bordallo appointed Cruz to be a Judge of the Superior Court of Guam. At 33, Cruz would be one of the youngest attorneys ever appointed to be a Judge. His appointment was controversial, and several leaders of local Protestant churches testified against the confirmation, citing sexual preference as disqualifying Cruz from being a good judge. Despite these interventions, Cruz was confirmed by the legislature and began a 17-year career in the island judiciary.
Cruz spent the first nine of his seventeen years as a Superior Court Judge with the Family court
, where he was an advocate for establishing and improving services for juvenile offenders
and troubled youth. His reputation as a fair and firm judge with compassion is well regarded by the legal community and social service providers. As a trial court
judge, Cruz presided over the controversial lawsuit filed regarding the implementation of the Chamorro Land Trust Act. He issued the landmark decision ordering the Act’s implementation.
In 1997, Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez
appointed Cruz to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Guam. He served as Associate Justice until 1999, when his colleagues elected him Chief Justice
. Cruz served as Chief Justice from April 21, 1999 until August 31, 2001, when he retired from the judiciary.
Prior to his appointment as Superior Court judge, Cruz held key positions in the Democratic Party
of Guam. He served as Executive Director under Franklin J.A. Quitugua and was Guam National Committeeman in the Democratic National Committee
. Cruz returned to politics after his retirement from the judiciary in 2002, to chair the successful campaign of Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo. Between 2003 and 2005, Cruz once again served as Democratic National Committeeman.
In 2003, Cruz was appointed by U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Gale Norton
to be one of five members of the Guam War Claims Review Commission, established by the Congress to report and make findings relative to compensation for the victims and survivors of the Japanese occupation of Guam
during World War II. The Federal Commission has issued a report to Congress recommending compensation. A bill is now pending in the Congress that, when passed, will finally compensate victims and survivors.
In 2004, Cruz was elected to the 28th Guam Legislature and was the highest democratic vote getter. In 2006, Cruz ran for Lt. Governor with Former Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez in the 2006 Democratic primary against former Delegate Robert Underwood and Senator Frank Aguon
. The Underwood-Aguon ticket won the primary but lost in the general election to Republican Governor Felix Camacho and Lt. Governor Michael W. Cruz
.
On January 7, 2008, Cruz was the victor in a special election to fill a vacancy in the 29th Guam Legislature left by the unexpected passing of former republican Speaker Antonio (Tony) R. Unpingco. The election of Cruz shifted the majority of the 15-seat At-large Legislature from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
On July 2008, Cruz worked to convince Navy Rear Admiral William French, Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Marianas and other U.S. Navy officials to ease restrictions on the access of local veterans to the island's only VA Clinic located in a gated Naval hospital facility.
In 2009, Cruz introduced Same-sex Civil Union Legislation on behalf of the Guam Youth Congress. The legislation has been publicly opposed by Arbishop Anthony S. Apuron, Archdiocese of Hagatna, Guam. In July 2009, Cruz revised the legislation to provide for Domestic Partnerships between any two people. This legislation has also been opposed by the Catholic Church on Guam. Apuron has called for fasting and prayer for the Guam Legislature to reject the legislation.
and incorporator
for the Organization of People for Indigenous Rights (OPI-R) and the PARA-PADA Coalition that opposed the adoption of the Guam Constitution. He also was a co-founder of the Nuclear Free Micronesia
Organization.
Cruz served as Secretary General, Vice President, and Treasurer of the Guam National Olympic Committee. Cruz was instrumental in organizing Guam’s petition for admission to the International Olympic Committee.
Cruz currently serves on the Board of Directors and a Past President of Sanctuary, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the island’s troubled youth and their families
Cruz is the current co-chairperson of the Manenggon Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization created to construct a permanent memorial to the victims and survivors of Guam’s World War II enemy occupation at the site of Manenggon Concentration Camp, on property deeded for such purpose by the late businessman Dwight Look.
Cruz is also the Chairman of the Board of Pa’a Taotao Tano (PTT), a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection, promotion, and preservation of the Chamorro
culture and has joined the governing boards of Pacific Islanders in Communication, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation Guam Chapter.
Cruz has also been involved with other organizations such as Beauty World Guam Ltd., The Guam Beautification Association, and the American Cancer Society
, serving as President of the Guam Chapter in 1981.
about his homosexuality.
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
Early life and education
Born on March 3, 1951 in GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, he is the second child and only son of Juan Quenga Cruz ("Tanaguan") and Antonia Cruz Franquez. His father, who had just been elected Commissioner (Mayor) of Piti, was killed in 1956 when Cruz was only five years old.
In 1960, while in Guam, Cruz’s mother married Vicente Cruz Guerrero ("Tico") and then they resettled the whole family in California in 1962. They returned to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
intermittently, where Cruz attended grade school at St. Francis School in Yona
Yona
"Yona" is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate Greek speakers. Its equivalent in Sanskrit, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil is the word "Yavana" and "Jobonan/Jubonan" in Bengali...
.
He went to St. John Bosco High School
St. John Bosco High School
St. John Bosco High School is a Catholic college preparatory school located in Bellflower, California, USA; conducted by the Salesians of St. John Bosco, San Francisco Province. SJBHS is named after Saint John Bosco and was originally founded as an elementary and intermediate boarding school by...
in California until 1968. His undergraduate Bachelor degree in Political Science and Economics was obtained in 1972 from the Claremont Men's College
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college and a member of the Claremont Colleges located in Claremont, California. The campus is located east of Downtown Los Angeles...
, and his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1975 from the Santa Clara University School of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law
The Santa Clara University School of Law is the law school of Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, in the Silicon Valley region. The School of Law was founded in 1911...
.
Career
Upon graduation in 1975, Cruz returned to Guam to work as Consumer Counsel in the Attorney GeneralAttorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
’s Office.
Four months later, Governor of Guam Ricardo J. Bordallo, who had just begun his first term in office with Lieutenant Governor of Guam Rudolph G. Sablan, asked Cruz to serve as the Governor’s Legal Counsel, which he did for Bordallo’s first term through January 1979.
Between Bordallo’s two gubernatorial terms, Cruz established a private practice and served as Minority Legal Counsel to the 15th and 16th Guam Legislatures. In 1983, Governor Bordallo was elected to his second term as Governor of Guam with Lt. Governor Edward D. Reyes. Bordallo appointed Cruz to head the Washington, D.C. Liaison Office. There, he served as Liaison to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and the National Governors Association
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...
.
In 1984, Bordallo appointed Cruz to be a Judge of the Superior Court of Guam. At 33, Cruz would be one of the youngest attorneys ever appointed to be a Judge. His appointment was controversial, and several leaders of local Protestant churches testified against the confirmation, citing sexual preference as disqualifying Cruz from being a good judge. Despite these interventions, Cruz was confirmed by the legislature and began a 17-year career in the island judiciary.
Cruz spent the first nine of his seventeen years as a Superior Court Judge with the Family court
Family court
A family court is a court convened to decide matters and make orders in relation to family law, such as custody of children. In common-law jurisdictions "family courts" are statutory creations primarily dealing with equitable matters devolved from a court of inherent jurisdiction, such as a...
, where he was an advocate for establishing and improving services for juvenile offenders
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
and troubled youth. His reputation as a fair and firm judge with compassion is well regarded by the legal community and social service providers. As a trial court
Trial court
A trial court or court of first instance is a court in which trials take place. Such courts are said to have original jurisdiction.- In the United States :...
judge, Cruz presided over the controversial lawsuit filed regarding the implementation of the Chamorro Land Trust Act. He issued the landmark decision ordering the Act’s implementation.
In 1997, Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez
Carl T.C. Gutierrez
Carl Tommy Cruz Gutierrez is a Guamanian politician.He has served at total of 10 terms in the Guam Legislature and ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 1978 , and again in 1986. Gutierrez was defeated by Governor Ricardo J. Bordallo and Lieutenant Governor Edward D. Reyes in 1986...
appointed Cruz to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Guam. He served as Associate Justice until 1999, when his colleagues elected him Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
. Cruz served as Chief Justice from April 21, 1999 until August 31, 2001, when he retired from the judiciary.
Prior to his appointment as Superior Court judge, Cruz held key positions in the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
of Guam. He served as Executive Director under Franklin J.A. Quitugua and was Guam National Committeeman in the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
. Cruz returned to politics after his retirement from the judiciary in 2002, to chair the successful campaign of Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo. Between 2003 and 2005, Cruz once again served as Democratic National Committeeman.
In 2003, Cruz was appointed by U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Gale Norton
Gale Norton
Gale Ann Norton served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush...
to be one of five members of the Guam War Claims Review Commission, established by the Congress to report and make findings relative to compensation for the victims and survivors of the Japanese occupation of Guam
Japanese occupation of Guam
Japanese Occupation of Guam was the period in the history of Guam between 1941 and 1944 when Japanese forces occupied Guam during World War II. The island was renamed Omiya Jima .-Overview of Guam:...
during World War II. The Federal Commission has issued a report to Congress recommending compensation. A bill is now pending in the Congress that, when passed, will finally compensate victims and survivors.
In 2004, Cruz was elected to the 28th Guam Legislature and was the highest democratic vote getter. In 2006, Cruz ran for Lt. Governor with Former Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez in the 2006 Democratic primary against former Delegate Robert Underwood and Senator Frank Aguon
Frank Aguon
Frank Blas Aguon, Jr. is a Guamanian Democratic politician. He has served for six terms as a Senator in the Legislature of Guam. Aguon has also run as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Guam in the 2006 and 2010 gubernatorial elections. Aguon is currently the running mate of former Guam...
. The Underwood-Aguon ticket won the primary but lost in the general election to Republican Governor Felix Camacho and Lt. Governor Michael W. Cruz
Michael W. Cruz
Michael "Mike" W. Cruz, M.D. is a Guamanian surgeon and politician. Cruz served as the eighth elected Lieutenant Governor of Guam from 2007 to 2011.-Personal life:...
.
On January 7, 2008, Cruz was the victor in a special election to fill a vacancy in the 29th Guam Legislature left by the unexpected passing of former republican Speaker Antonio (Tony) R. Unpingco. The election of Cruz shifted the majority of the 15-seat At-large Legislature from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
On July 2008, Cruz worked to convince Navy Rear Admiral William French, Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Marianas and other U.S. Navy officials to ease restrictions on the access of local veterans to the island's only VA Clinic located in a gated Naval hospital facility.
In 2009, Cruz introduced Same-sex Civil Union Legislation on behalf of the Guam Youth Congress. The legislation has been publicly opposed by Arbishop Anthony S. Apuron, Archdiocese of Hagatna, Guam. In July 2009, Cruz revised the legislation to provide for Domestic Partnerships between any two people. This legislation has also been opposed by the Catholic Church on Guam. Apuron has called for fasting and prayer for the Guam Legislature to reject the legislation.
Other interests and achievements
Cruz served as Legal CounselLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and incorporator
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
for the Organization of People for Indigenous Rights (OPI-R) and the PARA-PADA Coalition that opposed the adoption of the Guam Constitution. He also was a co-founder of the Nuclear Free Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
Organization.
Cruz served as Secretary General, Vice President, and Treasurer of the Guam National Olympic Committee. Cruz was instrumental in organizing Guam’s petition for admission to the International Olympic Committee.
Cruz currently serves on the Board of Directors and a Past President of Sanctuary, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the island’s troubled youth and their families
Cruz is the current co-chairperson of the Manenggon Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization created to construct a permanent memorial to the victims and survivors of Guam’s World War II enemy occupation at the site of Manenggon Concentration Camp, on property deeded for such purpose by the late businessman Dwight Look.
Cruz is also the Chairman of the Board of Pa’a Taotao Tano (PTT), a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection, promotion, and preservation of the Chamorro
Chamorros
The Chamorro people, or Chamoru people, are the indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands, which include the American territory of Guam and the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, significant Chamoru populations also exist in several U.S. states...
culture and has joined the governing boards of Pacific Islanders in Communication, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation Guam Chapter.
Cruz has also been involved with other organizations such as Beauty World Guam Ltd., The Guam Beautification Association, and the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
, serving as President of the Guam Chapter in 1981.
Personal
Cruz's nomination to be a Judge in the Superior Court of Guam in 1984 was marked with protests from evangelical and Baptist church groups because he was gay. Cruz was later confirmed as a Judge and was assigned to lead the Family Court for nearly 10 years. Cruz revealed a longstanding homosexual relationship in a local magazine article published in Latte Magazine in 1995. Cruz eventually became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Guam and was featured in an article in The AdvocateThe Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
about his homosexuality.