The legal community honors the legacy of longtime Guam attorney, former Sen. Howard Trapp | News

Guam’s legal community is mourning the loss of longtime local attorney and former Guam Senator Howard Trapp, who died July 7, according to a statement from the Guam Bar Association.

Trapp is a former trustee/president of the Guam Territorial Law Library, a former regent of the University of Guam, a former member of the Guam Election Commission and a former member of the Land Transfer Board.

“For more than 50 years, he has served our island with distinction, not only as an accomplished lawyer, but also as a senator and community leader. His contributions shaped the structure of our local courts following the Courts Reorganization Act of 1974, marking a turning point for our island’s judicial system,” Guam Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Torres said in a statement in part of Guam’s judicial system.

He received the Cristobal C. Duenas Award of Excellence for significant advancement in the administration of justice and the legal profession throughout his excellent service, the GBA said.

Trapp arrived in Guam on August 1, 1960, marking the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Guam Organic Act.

He was admitted to the Guam Bar on July 14, 1961 and retired in 2019 after 59 years of practice, the GBA said.

Trapp also served one term as a senator in Guam’s 14th Legislature from 1977 to 1978.

According to the statement, Trapp played a pivotal role in Guam’s legal landscape, including handling landmark cases that reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

He was also instrumental in changing the jurisdictional status of Guam’s courts as a result of the Courts Reorganization Act of 1974 and the Unified Judiciary; and later became a part-time judge of the Supreme Court of Guam, GBA said.

Memorial services for Trapp are scheduled for Friday morning at Our Lady of Peace Funeral Home in Barrigada.

Trapp’s contributions extended beyond his legal practice. He served as president of the Guam Bar Association in 1965 and was a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Bar Association and the California State Bar.

He has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and has held positions as a committee member of the Guam Bar.