American Samoa Questions If Gay Marriage Ruling Applies To Territory
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) – American Samoa stands as a usually U.S. domain to reason out opposite a new Supreme Court statute that ratified happy marriage.
But as a Pacific island’s profession ubiquitous reviews a decision, authorised observers and happy rights advocates are observant it should go into outcome immediately.
“It should be unquestioned,” pronounced Rose Cuison Villazor, a highbrow during University of California, Davis’ law propagandize and an consultant on territorial law. “The Supreme Court’s preference was flattering strong.”
American Samoa Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale, however, hasn’t been prepared to take that step.
“We’re still reviewing a preference to establish a qualification to American Samoa, and we have no specific comments during this time,” he said.
Asked if same sex matrimony is authorised in a territory, Ale said, “I don’t know. We’re reviewing a law.”
U.S. territories have some self-governance rights. The right to marry, however, isn’t a doubt of self-governance, pronounced Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, staff profession for inhabitant happy rights organisation Lambda Legal. “This is a doubt of particular right, particular liberty.”
Other U.S. territories have willingly complied with a Supreme Court decision.
In Puerto Rico, Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla sealed an executive sequence shortly after a ruling. U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp has pronounced he would emanate a identical executive order. In Guam, there is no bid to omit or plea a ruling, pronounced territorial legislative Vice Speaker Benjamin F. Cruz, who is gay. The Commonwealth of a Northern Mariana Islands is also ancillary a decision.
As of Thursday, no one has practical for a same sex matrimony permit in American Samoa, according to a island’s Office of Vital Statistics.
Christian churches with regressive amicable views browbeat in American Samoa, home to about 50,000, and a government’s sign is “Samoa, Let God Be First.” Yet a domain has a tradition of embracing faafafine – males who are lifted as females and take on delicate traits.
There are many faafafine who aren’t understanding of happy matrimony out of “respect for a Samoan enlightenment and eremite beliefs,” pronounced obvious faafafine Princess Auvaa.
The miss of matrimony permit applications by same-sex couples shouldn’t be taken to meant no one in American Samoa desires happy marriage, Villazor said. The profession general’s examination competence have a chilling effect, she said. “I would consider there are informative barriers to start with. The AG competence benefaction some other authorised and amicable barriers, too,” she said.
For happy matrimony to be famous in American Samoa, there needs to be a intentional preference or litigation, pronounced Chimene Keitner, an consultant on territorial standing issues during University of California, Hastings College of a Law.
Litigation would need “plaintiffs who have been denied a right to marry and are peaceful to take a open position on that and plea their inability to marry,” she said. Plaintiffs could also be those who were married elsewhere and wish a matrimony famous in American Samoa, she said.
Auvaa pronounced she wants happy matrimony to be authorised in American Samoa. If it’s dynamic that it is, she said, “I would be a initial chairman to request for a matrimony permit – if we had a beloved who would determine to marriage.”
___
Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Graces Garces Bordallo in Guam and AP National Writer David Crary contributed to this report.
Â