Title 48 — Territories and Insular PossessionsRelease 119-73
§2167 Venue
Title 48 › Chapter CHAPTER 20— - PUERTO RICO OVERSIGHT, MANAGEMENT, AND ECONOMIC STABILITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - ADJUSTMENTS OF DEBTS › § 2167
Summary
A legal case about a U.S. territory must be filed in that territory’s district court. If the territory has no district court, the case goes to the federal district court in Hawaii. This also covers territory government agencies. The Oversight Board can instead choose the federal district where it has an office outside the territory and may consider court resources and the effect on witnesses.
Full Legal Text
Title 48, §2167
Territories and Insular Possessions — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Venue shall be proper in—
(1)with respect to a territory, the district court for the territory or, for any territory that does not have a district court, the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii; and
(2)with respect to a covered territorial instrumentality, the district court for the territory in which the covered territorial instrumentality is located or, for any territory that does not have a district court, the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.
(b)(1)If the Oversight Board so determines in its sole discretion, then venue shall be proper in the district court for the jurisdiction in which the Oversight Board maintains an office that is located outside the territory.
(2)With respect to paragraph (1), the Oversight Board may consider, among other things—
(A)the resources of the district court to adjudicate a case or proceeding; and
(B)the impact on witnesses who may be called in such a case or proceeding.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
48 U.S.C. § 2167
Title 48 — Territories and Insular Possessions
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73