The Attorney General of American Samoa is the chief law enforcement officer and chief legal advisor to the American Samoa Government. [1]
The Attorney General of American Samoa aims to serve, protect, and represent the government and the people by enforcing the laws of American Samoa and the United States. The office has the following divisions:
Fofó Iosefa Fiti Sunia was the first non-voting Delegate from American Samoa to the United States House of Representatives. He was born in Fagasā, Pago Pago, and attended the University of Hawaiʻi.
Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono is an American Samoan politician and lawyer who served as the sixth governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as the seventh lieutenant governor.
Tauese Tuailemafua Pita Fiti Sunia was an American Samoan politician who served as the fifth governor of American Samoa from 1997 until his death in 2003. He was the second governor of American Samoa to die in office; Warren Terhune was the first.
Tofilau Eti Alesana was a Samoan politician who served as the fifth prime minister of Samoa from 1982 to 1985, and again from 1988 until his resignation in 1998.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 4, 2008, in 11 states and two territories. Prior to the election, eight of the total seats were held by Democrats and five by Republicans. Two governors were prohibited by term limits from seeking re-election in 2008. The only governorship to change party was the open seat in Missouri, which was won by a Democrat after being previously held by a Republican.
Aūa is a village on Tutuila Island in American Samoa. It is located along American Samoa Highway 001, and is the southern terminus of American Samoa Highway 006. Aūa is located at the foothills of Mount Peiva on the eastern shore of Pago Pago Bay. The hamlet of Leloaloa is also a part of Aūa.
The American Samoa Department of Public Safety, formerly the American Samoa Territorial Police, is the police law enforcement agency for American Samoa, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the territory. It was created to protect the lives and property of American Samoans. The DPS has police, corrections and fire divisions.
General elections were held in American Samoa on 4 November 2008 to elect a governor, members of the House of Representative, and a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, as well as a referendum on a legislative override of the governor's veto. The elections were held as part of the wider 2008 United States general election.
Republican Party of American Samoa is the affiliate of the U.S. Republican Party in American Samoa. It is based in the territorial capital of Pago Pago.
Faoa Aitofele Toese Fiti Sunia, formerly known by the title of Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia, is an American Samoan lawyer and politician. Sunia has served as the eighth lieutenant governor of American Samoa from April 11, 2003 to January 3, 2013.
Velega Savali Savali Jr. is an American Samoan politician. Savali was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa in the American Samoan gubernatorial election in 2008. He served as the American Samoa Treasurer from 2005 until 2008, and a senator from 2009 to 2012.
Afoafouvale Leulumoegafou Suʻesuʻe Lutu is an American Samoan politician and attorney. Lutu has served as the former attorney general of American Samoa in two different administrations. He is also a former senator from the district of Maʻopūtasi, serving the villages of Fagatogo, Utulei and Fagaʻalu. He is the current holder of the high chief title, Afoafouvale.
Same-sex marriage is not currently performed in American Samoa, though same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions are recognized. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry. The ruling legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in the United States; however, it is uncertain how the ruling applies to American Samoa as the territory is unincorporated and unorganized. The Governor of American Samoa at the time, Lolo Matalasi Moliga, said he believed that the Supreme Court's ruling does not apply to American Samoa.
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 12 states and two territories. Of the eight Democratic and four Republican seats contested, only that of North Carolina changed party hands, giving the Republicans a net gain of one governorship. These elections coincided with the presidential election on November 6, 2012. As of 2024, this marked the last time in which a Democrat won the governorship in Missouri and the last time in which a Republican won the governorship in North Carolina.
General elections were held in American Samoa on 6 November 2012 to elect a new governor and lieutenant governor, twenty members of the American Samoa House of Representatives and the Delegate to United States House of Representatives. Incumbent governor Togiola Tulafono was term-limited and could not seek re-election.
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located South East of Samoa and consisting of seven main islands. American Samoa is a predominantly Christian nation, identifying as a region founded by God, however, has become more religiously diverse since the mid-20th century. The religion of Islam was first brought to American Samoa in the mid-1980s by Muslim expatriate workers from government programs. The region received their first native convert in 1985, although Muslim adherents still remain a minority in American Samoan society today. While the population is small, the spread of Islam has been a significant part of the Island’s history.
The Office of the Attorney General of Guam aims to serve, protect, and represent the government and the people by enforcing the laws of Guam and the United States. The Office is composed of the following divisions:
The 2020 American Samoa gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, coinciding with the 2020 United States presidential elections and other United States elections. Incumbent Governor of American Samoa Lolo Matalasi Moliga was not eligible for reelection due to term limits. In American Samoa, gubernatorial candidates run on a non-partisan basis and as a slate together with their Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa candidate.
Mitzie Jessop Taase is an American Samoan attorney who served as acting Attorney General of American Samoa. Taase was appointed to the role to succeed Talauega Eleasalo Ale, who resigned to run for Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa in the 2020 American Samoa gubernatorial election.
Fiti Alesana Sunia is an American lawyer who has served as the associate justice of the High Court of American Samoa since 2019.