High Court of American Samoa
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 | |
|---|---|
| |
 Interactive map of High Court of American Samoa | |
| Established | 1921 (105 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]
Organization
The High Court consists of four divisions:[6][7]
- the trial division;
- the land and titles division;
- the family, drug and alcohol division; and
- the appellate division.
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 $15,000 and are not related to land or matai titles.[8]
Justices
Current justices
| Name | Start | Appointer | Law School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Kruse, Chief Justice | November 1, 1988[a] | Donald P. Hodel (R) | VUW GWU (LLM) |
| Fiti A. Sunia | January 4, 2019 | David Bernhardt (R) | Howard |
- Kruse was originally appointed as associate justice by Sec. Hodel on March 1, 1987 before being elevated to chief justice.
Historical members
The past and present justices of the court:[9]
| Name | Associate Start | Associate End | Chief Start | Chief End | Appointer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry P. Wood | — | — | 1921 | 1937 | Albert B. Fall (under Harding) |
| Arthur A. Morrow | — | — | 1937 | 1943 | Harold L. Ickes (under F. Roosevelt) |
| 1945 | 1966 | ||||
| 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) |
