**GAO-08-655**                      Published: Jun 27, 2008. Publicly Released: Jun 27, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

American Samoa is the only populated U.S. insular area that does not have a federal court. Congress has granted the local High Court federal jurisdiction for certain federal matters, such as specific areas of maritime law. GAO was asked to conduct a study of American Samoa's system for addressing matters of federal law. Specifically, this report discusses: (1) the current system for adjudicating matters of federal law in American Samoa and how it compares to those in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI); (2) the reasons offered for or against changing the current system for adjudicating matters of federal law in American Samoa; (3) potential scenarios and issues associated with establishing a federal court in American Samoa or expanding the federal jurisdiction of the local court; and (4) the potential cost elements and funding sources associated with implementing those different scenarios. To conduct this work, we reviewed previous studies and testimonies, and collected information from and conducted interviews with federal government officials and American Samoa government officials.

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## Topics

Justice and Law Enforcement

Appellate courtsCost analysisCost controlCost effectiveness analysisCourt costsCourts (law)CriminalsFederal courtsFederal lawFederal legislationForeign governmentsInternational cooperationInternational lawInternational relationsJudicial remediesJurisdictional authorityLitigationPolicy evaluationStrategic planningSystems analysisSystems managementTerritories and possessionsCost awarenessCost estimates