American Samoa
Common law
American Samoa is part of, or a territory of, the United States.
Common law began in medieval England. Judges decide cases and their reasons become precedent: later courts follow earlier decisions on the same point. Statutes matter a great deal today, but judges still develop and explain the law. Trials are usually adversarial, meaning the two sides present their cases to a neutral judge or jury.
A full profile of American Samoa’s legal system is planned. For now, this page shows where American Samoa sits on the map.
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists American Samoa as: Common law. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about American Samoa, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
