Preface

In 1900, the Samoan Islands of Tutuila and Aunu’u were ceded to the United States, and the Territory of American Samoa came into being. The High Court of American Samoa was established in that year and since then has been the court of highest jurisdiction in the Territory, and the only court which regularly writes opinions. The court’s first published decision appears at 1 A.S.R. 15.

In 1977, the first volume of the American Samoa Reports, covering decisions from 1900-1938 was published. This was followed in quick succession by the publication of Volumes 2, 3 and 4 of the Reports, which include decisions of the High Court through 1975.

In 1983, the court began publication of American Samoa Reports, second edition. Since then, thirty-one volumes of A.S.R.2d have been published, coverning decisions from 1978-1997.

In 2006, Volume 1 of the third edition of the American Samoa Reports was published. This volume begins where 31 A.S.R.2d left off, with court decisions in 1997. It is anticipated that, within the next year, decisions covering the years of 1998-2006 will also be published in A.S.R.3d.

Each of these published decisions are printed with headnotes coverning the legal points made by the decisions. The 2007 American Samoa Digest categorizes all of the headnotes in the decisions published in American Samoa Reports, and American Samoa Reports, second edition. Each headnote is placed in one or more of 29 different topics. Each major topic is broken down into subtopics, each of which is further broken down to more narrowly pinpoint the law in the headnote. Once the user of the Digest has found a headnote he is interested in, he can use the cite to the American Samoa Reports, appearing at the end of the headnote, to find the case in the Reports and, by comparing the wording of the headnote in the Digest with the wording of the headnotes at the beginning of the case, determine where in the case the court is discussing the legal point of interest.

This digest is created with the intent that, at some future date, headnotes for the cases published in the American Samoa Reports, third edition will also be placed in the Digest, appearing as Volume 2 of the American Samoa Digest.

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