Determines land ownership in a jurisdiction where title must often be traced through four successive foreign administrations — Spanish, German, Japanese and the US-administered Trust Territory — and where Article XII of the Constitution restricts ownership to citizens. Its return-of-public-land jurisdiction, allowing original owners or their heirs to recover land taken by earlier administrations, makes Land Court practice a specialism of its own.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- specialised
- Court type
- Specialist land court
- Jurisdiction
- Determination of ownership of land, including claims to return public land to original owners and claims arising from earlier administrations.
- Seat
- Koror
- Established
- 1996
- Composition
- A senior judge and associate judges of the Land Court.
- Appointment
- Appointed by the President with Senate confirmation under the Land Court Act.
- Languages
- English, Palauan
Where an appeal goes next
Appeal to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Palau.
Filing at this court
- Claim to return of public land
- Filed under the statutory claims process; deadlines set by statute
- Appeal
- Within 30 days of the Land Court determination
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