As American Samoa has no local federal district court or territorial court, the High Court has also been granted the powers of a federal district court in certain matters while other federal matters are handled by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.
American Samoa's lack of local federal courts necessitates that the High Court assume some functions typically performed by federal district courts, with other federal cases being managed by different U.S. district courts.