Holds exclusive jurisdiction over customary land — roughly 81% of Samoa, inalienable under Article 102 of the Constitution — and over matai titles, which determine political eligibility since candidates for Parliament must hold one. The 2020 Land and Titles Court Act reforms gave the court its own appellate structure and were controversial precisely because they altered its relationship with the Supreme Court's constitutional jurisdiction.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- specialised
- Court type
- Customary land and chiefly title court
- Jurisdiction
- Exclusive jurisdiction over customary land and matai (chiefly) titles, including the conferral, dispute and succession of titles.
- Seat
- Mulinuʻu, Apia
- Established
- 1903
- Composition
- A President and Deputy President with Samoan judges and assessors selected for knowledge of faʻa Samoa.
- Appointment
- Appointed under the Land and Titles Act on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission.
- Languages
- Samoan, English
Where an appeal goes next
Appeal within the Land and Titles Court structure created by the 2020 reforms.
Filing at this court
- Petition on a matai title
- Filed with the Registrar of the Land and Titles Court
- Objection to a title claim
- Within the period notified by public notice of the claim
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