The Supreme Court of Samoa () is the superior court dealing with the administration of justice in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. It was established by Part VI of the

Constitution of Samoa The Constitution of Samoa is a written constitution which is the supreme law in Samoa. It establishes Samoa as a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system and responsible government. It outlines the structure and powers of the Samoan go ...

. It consists of the Chief Justice of Samoa and other judges as appointed by the Head of State on the advice of the Prime Minister of Samoa. Judges serve until they reach the age of 68 years, and can only be removed from office on the address of the Legislative Assembly on grounds of misbehaviour or infirmity; this requires a two-thirds majority of all MPs. Acting Judges may be appointed for a fixed term. The court has jurisdiction over the interpretation of the constitution, enforcement of fundamental rights, and membership of the

Legislative Assembly of Samoa The Legislative Assembly ( sm, Fono Aoao Faitulafono a Samoa), also known as the Parliament of Samoa ( sm, Palemene o Samoa), is the national legislature of Samoa, seated at Apia, where the country's central administration is situated. Samoan P ...

. It also has "such original, appellate and revisional jurisdiction as may be provided by Act". At present this is criminal jurisdiction where there is a statutory maximum sentence of more than seven years and a civil jurisdiction where the amount claimed is more than $20,000. It can hear both civil and criminal appeals from the District Court of Samoa. In 2020 the jurisdiction of the court was amended by the Land and Titles Bill to exclude review of any decision falling within the jurisdiction of the Land and Titles Court of Samoa. Decisions of the Supreme Court can, with leave of the court, be appealed to the Court of Appeal of Samoa. The Court of Appeal consists of the Chief Justice and the other judges of the Supreme Court, but a judge cannot sit on an appeal from their own decision.

Judges

The court is made up of the following judges: * Chief Justice Satiu Simativa Perese * Justice

Vui Clarence Nelson Vui Clarence Joseph Nelson (born 22 December 1955) is a Samoan judge. He sits on the Supreme Court of Samoa, and was the first Pacific Islands judge appointed to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Nelson was born in Apia, Sam ...

* Justice

Mata Tuatagaloa Mata Keli Tuatagaloa is a Samoan judge. She was the first woman judge in Samoa, having been appointed to the District Court of Samoa in 2011, and has been a judge of the Supreme Court of Samoa since August 2015. New Zealand judge Ida Malosi had b ...

* Justice

Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala-Warren Tafaoimalo Leilani Sina Naireen Tuala-Warren (born 28 November 1972) is a Samoan judge. She has been a Judge of the Supreme Court of Samoa since 29 April 2016. She is the second woman Supreme Court judge in Samoa. Tuala-Warren was born in Apia ...

* Justice

Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma (born ~1977) is a Samoan judge. He has been a judge of the Supreme Court of Samoa since 15 January 2020. Fepuleai graduated from the University of the South Pacific law school in 1998. After working for the Inland Revenue De ...

* Justice

Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke is a Samoan judge. He has served on the Supreme Court of Samoa since December 2016. Clarke was educated at the Australian National University and the University of Canberra in Australia. After working for the Australian g ...

In addition, former Justice

Lesatele Rapi Vaai Lesatele Rapi Vaai is a Samoan judge and President of the Land and Titles Court of Samoa. He served on the Supreme Court of Samoa until 2017, and again from 2020. Vaai is a former president of the Samoa law Society. He was appointed to the Distri ...

was reappointed for a period of 12 months in November 2020. On 4 August 2021 five former New Zealand judges were appointed as acting judges for a term of two years: * Justice Robert Fisher * Justice

Peter Blanchard Sir Peter Blanchard (born 2 August 1942) is a former judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. Biography Blanchard was born in the Auckland suburb of Epsom on 2 August 1942, the son of Cyril and Zora Blanchard. His father served as a flying ...

* Justice Rhys Harrison * Justice Rodney Hansen * Justice Raynor Asher

References

{{Oceania topic, Supreme Court of, title=Supreme Courts of Oceania , countries_only=yes Law of Samoa