High Court of American Samoa
Highest court of American Samoa, after the U.S. Supreme Court From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Highest court of American Samoa, after the U.S. Supreme Court From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The High Court of American Samoa is a Samoan court and the highest court below the United States Supreme Court in American Samoa. The Court is located in the capital of Fagatogo. It consists of one chief justice and one associate justice, appointed by the United States Secretary of the Interior, holding office during "good behavior" and removable for cause.[2] As American Samoa has no local federal district court or territorial court, the High Court has also been granted the powers of a federal district court in certain matters while other federal matters are handled by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.[3]
| High Court of American Samoa | |
|---|---|
The High Court of American Samoa courthouse | |
 | |
| Established | 1921 (103 years ago) |
| Jurisdiction | American Samoa |
| Location | Fagatogo, American Samoa |
| Composition method | Appointed by the United States Secretary of the Interior |
| Authorized by | Constitution of American Samoa |
| Appeals to | United States Secretary of the Interior (no appeals in practice)[1] |
| Number of positions | 2 |
| Chief Justice | |
| Currently | Michael Kruse |
| Since | 1988 |
The High Court of American Samoa also has several Samoan associate judges who sit with the two justices. Normally, two associate judges will sit with the chief justice and associate justice on every case.
The Secretary of the Interior retains ultimate authority over the courts.[4]
The colonial-style Maugaolii High Court served as the U.S. Navy headquarters during World War II.[5]
The High Court consists of four divisions:[2]
The trial division, which consists of the Chief Justice, the Associate Justice, and associate judges, is a court of general jurisdiction, empowered to hear, among other things, felony cases and civil cases in which the amount in controversy exceeds $5,000.
The past and present justices of the court:[6]
| Name | Term as Associate Justice | Term as Chief Justice | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry P. Wood | — | 1921–1937 | Albert B. Fall (under Harding) |
| Arthur A. Morrow | — | 1937–1966 | Harold L. Ickes (under F. Roosevelt) |
| V. G. Roel | 1963–1966 | — | Stewart Udall (under Kennedy) |
| Joseph W. Goss | 1966–1970 | — | Stewart Udall (under Johnson) |
| H. Edward Hydon | — | 1966–1968 | Stewart Udall (under Johnson) |
| Donald Hawk Crothers | — | 1968–1972 | Wally Hickel (under Nixon) |
| Leslie N. Jochimsen | 1971–1975 | 1975–1976 | Rogers Morton (under Nixon) |
| William J. McKnight III | — | 1972–1975 | Rogers Morton (under Nixon) |
| K. William O'Connor | 1976–1977 | 1977–1978 | Thomas S. Kleppe (under Ford) |
| Richard I. Miyamoto | 1976–1978 | 1978–1981 | Thomas S. Kleppe (under Ford) (Associate Justice) Cecil Andrus (under Carter) (Chief Justice) |
| Thomas W. Murphy | 1980–1987 | — | Cecil Andrus (under Carter) |
| Robert Gardner | — | 1981–1986 | James G. Watt (under Reagan) |
| Grover J. Rees III | 1988–1991 | 1986–1988 | William P. Clark Jr. (under Reagan) (Chief Justice) Donald P. Hodel (under Reagan) (Associate Justice) |
| Michael Kruse | 1987–1988 | 1988–present | Donald P. Hodel (under Reagan) |
| Lyle L. Richmond | 1991–2017 | — | Manuel Lujan Jr. (under G.H.W. Bush) |
| Fiti A. Sunia | 2019–present | — | David Bernhardt (under Trump) |
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
