The Commissioner can make laws, known as ordinances, covering different aspects of life in the territory, including the judicial system, tax, the allocation of public funds, the environment and marriage.
[3] Concerning matters not covered by local legislation, the law in force in England and Wales shall be applied in the territory, in accordance with the Administration of Justice Ordinance 1990.
[4] In a report explaining the reasons for the new ordinance, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wrote that it "imports provisions from the law in England in relation to the capacity to marry and the requirements for consent.
The first same-sex marriage in the territory took place on 24 April 2022 between Eric Bourne and Stephen Carpenter on board RRS Sir David Attenborough near the Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island.
[11] The first lesbian marriage occurred on 14 February 2023 between Sarah and June Snyder-Kamen at Bongrain Point, Pourquoi Pas Island.