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Trial Court Rules of Criminal Procedure – 2026

The criminal rules, modeled on the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and cited "12 TCRCrP". Charging is by INFORMATION, not indictment: TCRCrP 7(a) provides that all felony offenses are initiated in the High Court by filing an information, and no grand jury provision appears in these rules or in the Code's preliminary-examination chapter. A defendant charged with a High Court offense is entitled to a preliminary examination within 10 days of the initial appearance if in custody, 20 days if not (TCRCrP 5(c)). Prosecutions are brought by the Attorney General in the name of the Government of American Samoa. Federal crimes cannot be tried on-island at all — there is no federal district court, and defendants go to Honolulu or Washington.

Browse all 46 rules of the 2026 edition below. Each rule includes the full text, a plain-English summary, committee notes, amendment history, and cross-references to related rules. Use the search box to find rules by keyword or number.

Rule 1 Title and Scope Rule 2 Purpose and Construction Rule 3 The Complaint Rule 4 Arrest Warrant or Summons Upon Complaint Rule 5 Initial Appearance Before the District Court Rule 5.1 Preliminary Examination Rule 7 The Information Rule 8 Joinder of Offenses and of Defendants Rule 10 Arraignment Rule 11 Pleas Rule 12 Pleadings and Motions Before Trial; Defenses and Objections Rule 12.1 Notice of Alibi Rule 12.2 Notice of Defense Based Upon Mental Condition Rule 13 Trial Together of Complaint or Information Rule 14 Relief from Prejudicial Joinder Rule 15 Depositions Rule 16 Discovery and Inspection Rule 17 Subpoena Rule 17.1 Pretrial Conference Rule 18 Venue Rule 23 Trial by Jury or by the Court Rule 24 Trial Jurors Rule 25 Judge; Disability Rule 26 Taking of Testimony Rule 26.1 Determination of Foreign Law Rule 27 Proof of Official Record Rule 29 Motion for Judgment of Acquittal Rule 29.1 Closing Argument Rule 30 Instructions Rule 31 Verdict Rule 32 Sentence and Judgment Rule 33 New Trial Rule 34 Arrest of Judgment Rule 35 Correction or Reduction of Sentence Rule 36 Clerical Mistakes Rule 38 Stay of Execution Rule 41 Search and Seizure Rule 43 Presence of the Defendant Rule 44 Right to and Assignment of Counsel Rule 45 Time Rule 46 Release from Custody Rule 47 Motions Rule 48 Dismissal Rule 49 Service and Filing of Papers Rule 51 Exceptions Unnecessary Rule 52 Harmless Error and Plain Error