Ponape District Court decided Kilara v. Alexander, confirming that the 1912 German land-title system still governed Pohnpei land.

What happened

The Ponape District Court found that the German land law of 1912 was still in effect except where later governments had changed it. Under that law, land was held in one man’s name with duties to his relatives, and it could not be sold or given away without the approval of the governor and the Nahnmwarki.

Why it matters

Later Trust Territory courts followed this ruling, so German-era deeds kept shaping land ownership on Pohnpei.