The Nitijela has 33 members from 24 districts elected for concurrent 4-year terms. Members are called senators. The president is elected by the Nitijela from among its members. Presidents pick cabinet members from the Nitijela. Amata Kabua was elected as the first President of the republic in 1979.
Trial is by jury or judge.
Jurisdiction of the traditional rights court is limited to cases involving titles or land rights or other disputes arising from customary law and traditional practice. As in some other Pacific island nations, potential conflict has been avoided by virtue of the fact that one of the highest chiefs, Amata Kabua, remains President. There have been a number of local and national elections since the Republic of the Marshall Islands was founded, and in general, democracy has functioned well. There have been some incidents of human rights concern, however, such as the government urging a high court judge to resign or putting pressure on the local newspaper because of press criticism. The governing party was later called the Government Party.