The US Justice Department has hinted at the possibility of the American Samoa Government intervening as a defendant in the citizenship lawsuit filed last month in the federal court in Utah.
Plaintiffs in the complaint are John Fitisemanu, Pale Tuli and Rosavita Tuli who were all born in American Samoa but live in Utah.
Salt Lake City, Utah Photo: Flickr- CountyLemonade- . (cc-by-2.0.)
The main focus of the plaintiffs' argument is that because they were born in American Samoa, a US territory, they are entitled to citizenship under the US Constitution.
Among the federal defendants named in the complaint are the US Secretary of State and the State Department itself.
The defendants were given up to May 29 to file a response to the complaint.
Tutuila Beach, American Samoa Photo: Hakeem Khaaliq
This week, the US Justice Department, representing the defendants, asked the federal court for additional time.
In its filings, the department said that the "defendants understand that the government of American Samoa will soon be filing a contested motion to intervene as a defendant in this matter."
The lead attorney for the plaintiffs said that since nothing has been filed yet by the territorial government, the plaintiffs had no comment.
Officials in American Samoa said that the territory's Attorney General was working with a US law firm, which will be providing its legal service free of charge, for the government's response to the case.
The court has given the defendants until June 9 to file a reply.
