Pitcairn Islands

• The Pitcairn Constitution Order of 2010, the highest local law
• Local ordinances, and English law applied to the islands
• Decisions of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council

• The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, the final court
• The Pitcairn Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court
• The Magistrate's Court and the Island Court

There is no resident legal profession. Cases are handled by lawyers and judges from New Zealand and elsewhere.

• It is among the smallest legal jurisdictions in the world.
• Judges and lawyers travel from New Zealand and the United Kingdom to hear cases.
• Island officials may sit as local magistrates for minor matters.

New Zealand, Saint Helena, Cook Islands, United Kingdom, Fiji

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Pitcairn Islands as: Common law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Cook Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, India, Ireland, Jamaica.

• JuriGlobe: world legal systems (University of Ottawa)
• Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.