Constitution of American Samoa
The Constitution of American Samoa is the constitution that defines the government of American Samoa. Unlike constitutions of a state, it is subject to unilateral change by the federal government. Constitutional documents of the territory include the treaties that created it and the 1960 constitution (as amended) approved by the federal government and popular referendum.
History
The original Constitution was adopted by a constitutional convention and was signed by the 68 members of the convention and
The Constitution was created during the first term of former Governor Peter Tali Coleman. Governor Coleman chaired the convention which drafted the original constitution. It included a bill of rights and provided protection for American Sāmoans against alienation of their lands and loss of culture.[4][5][6] Savali Talavou Ale led the committee assignment of reviewing the constitution in the American Samoa House of Representatives.[7]
To prevent the Secretary of the Interior from appointing an Attorney General independent of the elected Governor,[8] the United States Congress passed a law in 1983 mandating that amendments to the Constitution be made by Congress alone.[9]
Other constitutional documents
The
See also
- American Samoan constitutional referendum, 2010
References
- ^ Leibowitz 1980, p. 254.
- ^ Leibowitz 1989, p. 420.
- ^ Leibowitz 1980, pp. 254–255.
- ISBN 9780824822651.
- ^ "Our District". 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Congressional Record Extensions of Remarks Articles".
- ISBN 9789829008015.
- ^ Leibowitz 1989, p. 423.
- ^ U.S. Government Accountability Office (September 18, 2008). American Samoa: Issues Associated with Some Federal Court Options (PDF) (Report). U.S. Government Accountability Office.
- Leibowitz, Arnold H (1980). "American Samoa: Decline of a Culture". California Western International Law Journal. 10: 220–271.
- Leibowitz, Arnold H (1989). Defining Status: A Comprehensive Analysis of United States Territorial Relations. ISBN 978-0-7923-0069-4.