Pacific Islands Committee Archive Finding Aid

Administrative History

The Pacific Islands Committee is one of several committees of the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Courts.
 
The mission of the Committee is to keep abreast of developments and to make suggestions for improvement in the administration of justice in former and present Pacific territorial areas in which the U.S. Federal judiciary has continuing responsibilities or interests.
 
The designated jurisdictions are: Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territory of American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands(1). 
 
The U.S. relationship to these islands are because of these histories: 
  • Guam and American Samoa have been U.S. territories for more than a century. 
  • After World War II, the United Nations brought together the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republics of Palau and the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia as parts of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, administered by the U.S. 
  • In 1986, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia became independent through the Compact of Free Association.  
  • The Northern Mariana Islands entered into a political union with the U.S. with local self-governance and locally-elected political officials.  
These islands follow a mixture of common and customary laws, drawing from U.S. law for guidance. While all islands have local court systems, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Guam have federal courts while American Samoaʻs high court positions are appointed by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior (2). 
 
Utilizing funding support from the U.S. Department of Interior, the Pacific Islands Committee works with state-level courts of these jurisdictions to implement various judicial education and court professional development opportunities (2).
 

Custodial History

The collection was initially processed by Archivist Ellen Chapman. It was then sent over to the Law Library for further indexing, digitization and accessibility under the supervision of Archives Manager Ellen-Rae Cachola. 

Scope and Content

The bulk of the material in this collection is from the 1990s and the 2000s.  It includes reports, information and correspondence about the judiciary in the territories of concern to the PIC and records of specific cases reviewed by PIC member-judges. There are files for bi-annual meetings of the Committee in 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005.

General
Territories
Cases: American Samoa
Cases: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
Cases: Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)
Cases: Guam
Cases: Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)
Cases: Miscellaneous
Meetings
National Judicial College
Pacific Institute of Judicial Administration
 
Box 1
 
Pacific Islands Committee 10/91-12/91
Pacific Islands Committee 1984
Pacific Islands Committee 1990-91
Pacific Islands Committee 1992
 
Box 2

Pacific Island Committee 2001-2003
Pacific Islands Committee 2002-2005

Box 3

Pili v. Tagaloa
Akapo v. Ava 
Alai`asa Filifili Mailai v. Tuitoga Puailoa Fanene, et al. 1999
Alai`asa Filifili Mailai v. Tuitoga Puailoa Fanene, et al. 2000
Alai`asa Filifili Mailai v. Tuitoga Puailoa Fanene, et al. 2001
Alai`asa Filifili Mailai v. Tuitoga Puailoa Fanene, et al. 2002
American Samoa Government v. Abe Samana 
American Samoa Government v. Andry Sagapolutele
American Samoa Government v. Meredith
Boral Gas of American Samoa v. American Samoa Government 
Fanene Fetaiaiga v. Fanene Su`a Scanlan 1996
Fanene/Va`afusuga v. Ma`ae 2003
Fiu v. American Samoa Government 
Gebauer v. American Samoa Power of Authority 
GM Meredith v. Blue Pacific Management
Ho Pyo Hong vs. Korea Deep Sea Fisheries Association 1998
Ho Pyo Hong vs. Sharkfin Trading Co. 1998
Kaleuati v. Iosefa 
Kelemete v. Meredith 
Kruse v. American Samoa Government 
National Judicial College: Technical and Financial Proposal 2001
New Star Trading v. Daewoosa Samoa 
Pacific Institute of Judicial Administration

Box 4

Pili v. Tagaloa
Akapo v. Ava
Alai`asa Mailei v. Tuitoga Fanene, et. al 1999
American Samoa Government v. Abe Samana 
American Samoa Government v. Andry Sagapolutele
American Samoa Govt v. Meredith
Boral Gas of American Samoa v. American Samoa Government 
Fanene Fetaiaiga v. Fanene Su`a Scanlan 1996
Fanene/Va`afusuga v. Ma`ae 
Fiu v. American Samoa Government 
Gebauer v. American Samoa Power of Authority
GM Meredith v. Blue Pacific Mgmt 
Ho Pyo Hong vs. Korea Deep Sea Fisheries Assn. (1998)
Ho Pyo Hong vs. Sharkfin Trading Co. (1998)
Kaleuati v. Iosefa
Kelemete v. Meredith 
Kruse v. American Samoa Government
Malalala v. American Samoa Government 
National Judicial College: Technical and Financial Proposal, 2001
New Star Trading v. Daewoosa Samoa 
PIJA, Pacific Institute of Judicial Administration

Box 5

Agustin v. Government of Guam (1996)
Alep v. USA
Camacho v. Government of Guam
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-1995
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-1996
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-1997
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-1998
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-1999
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2000
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2001
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2002
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2003
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2004
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2005
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2006
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2007
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2008
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2009
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2010
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2011
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2012
CNMI Several Cases 1980's; 1994-2013
Craddick Development v. M. Craddick 
Craddick Development V.M. Craddick 
PEC, et al, v. Luzama, et al 
Ponefuolemotu M. Tuaolo v.Manaia E.T. Vaivao Fruean
Ricky Anthony Pua`a v. American Samoa Government
Ropati v. American Samoa Government 
Sardina v. F/V Kassandra 
Siona Toleafoa v. American Samoa Government (1996)
Soli Corp, Soli Aolaolagi, and Mark Meredith v. Amerika Samoa Bank and Development Bank of American Samoa (1993)
Suluai v. Nat`l Western Life Ins.
Thompson v. Thompson
Tuia v. District Court 
Tulifa v. Tuitele 
Ulufaleilupe Safue v. Uiagalelei Iona (1999)
Youngstrom v. Youngstrom

Box 6

Judge Goodwin RMI (Marshall Islands) 5/14/06-5/18/06
Craddick Development V.M. Craddick 
Goodwin 2002
Guam - Territorial Bd of Education et al v. Rivera 96-00019A
Kabua v. Note
Marshall Islands 2004
Ralpho v. Bell
Rearden Family Trust v. Wisenbaker
RMI (3/07)
RMI (3/21/05)
RMI (Marshall Islands) 5/14/06-5/18/06
RMI (Marshall Islands) 5/14/06-5/18/06 [continued]
RMI 1999
RMI Atty General v. Tomeing
RMI v. American Tobacco Co.
Shimoda et al. vs. The State
Source
Stanley v. Stanley
Temengil v. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Territory of Guam v. Olsen 1977

Box 7

Articles
Australia, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands
Briefs on Appeal
Cases
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Conferences
Correspondence
Courts
Federated States of Micronesia
Guam
Guam & Northern Mariana Islands
Guam Commonwealth
Judicial Conference of the United States, Guam
Meetings
Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Marianas, Guam
Pacific Institute of Judicial Administration
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands Committee
Pacific Islands Committee Meeting
Pacific Judicial Conference
Public Lands
Samoa
South Pacific Judicial Conference
Supreme Court of the Republic of Palau
U.S. Courts
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States District Courts
United States Territories

Box 8

American Samoa
Budanio v. Saipan
Compact of Free Association
Conference of Chief Justices
Disciplinary Complaint against Theodore R. Mitchell
Estate of Hillblom
Guam District Court
Judge Correspondence
Judicial Conference Committee
Law Program
National Conference
Northern Mariana Islands
Pacific Institute of Judicial Administration
Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands Committee
South Pacific Judicial Conference
U.S. Dept. of the Interior

Access Restrictions


The materials are accessible in person at the University of Hawaiʻi School of Law Library. Please see the Access page for more information.


Reference Code


These items are cataloged as the Pacific Islands Committee Collection. Go to the index page of this collection to browse the records. Note the Box number and folder number to request access to them.


Works Cited

1 Pacific Islands Committee, Ninth Circuit Judicial Council. Charter, February 21, 2001. In “Agenda” and “Revised Agenda,” Pacific Islands Committee meeting, July 17, 2001, Big Sky, Montana

2 Office of the Circuit Executive. Pacific Islands Committee Newsletter. 2015. 
https://www.law.hawaii.edu/sites/www.law.hawaii.edu/files/content/Media/PIC_Winter_2015.pdf 

 

Other Resources

UH Libraries, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Digital Archive Collections. http://libweb.hawaii.edu/digicoll/ttp/ttpi.html 

Laws of South Pacific Island Nations, University of Hawai'i School of Law Library, 2017

Pacific Island Legal Institute Welcome Reception and Exhibit, University of Hawaiʻi School of Law Library, January 7, 2019