Legal System of American Samoa
American Samoa is located in Australia Oceania. It is geographically situated in oceania, group of islands in the south pacific ocean, about halfway between hawaii and new zealand. The country achieved independence on none (territory of the us). The capital is Pago Pago.
Government Overview
Government Type: unincorporated, unorganized Territory of the US with local self-government; republican form of territorial government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches Chief of State: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025) Head of Government: Governor Nikolao PULA (since 3 January 2025) Cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 department directors appointed by the governor with the consent of the Legislature or Fono Administrative Divisions: no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but 3 districts and 2 islands* are considered second-order; Eastern, Manu’a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western National Holiday: Flag Day, 17 April (1900) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of American Samoa is described as mixed legal system of US common law and customary law
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: adopted 17 October 1960; revised 1 July 1967 Amendment Process: proposed by either house of the Legislative Assembly; passage requires three-fifths majority vote by the membership of each house, approval by simple majority vote in a referendum, approval by the US Secretary of the Interior, and only by an act of the US Congress
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): High Court of American Samoa (consists of the chief justice, associate chief justice, and 6 Samoan associate judges and organized into trial, family, drug, and appellate divisions) Judge Selection: chief justice and associate chief justice appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior to serve for life; Samoan associate judges appointed by the governor to serve for life Subordinate Courts: district and village courts
Legislative Branch
Note: note: American Samoa elects 1 member by simple majority popular vote to serve a 2-year term as a delegate to the US House of Representatives; the delegate can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the Committee of the Whole House, but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote
Citizenship and Suffrage
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Historical Background
Tutuila -- the largest island in American Samoa -- was settled by 1000 B.C., and the island served as a refuge for exiled chiefs and defeated warriors from the other Samoan islands. The Manu’a Islands, which are also now part of American Samoa, developed a traditional chiefdom that maintained autonomy by controlling oceanic trade.
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of American Samoa based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.