The Virgin Islands Superior Court is the

trial court A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...

of general jurisdiction for the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

. The court is composed of nine

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

s. They are appointed by the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and confirmed by the

Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

. Effective January 29, 2007 the

Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands The Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands is the highest court in the territory of the United States Virgin Islands. The Supreme Court assumed jurisdiction over all appeals from the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, a trial level court, on ...

assumed jurisdiction over appeals from the Superior Court.

Composition

The judges of the Virgin Islands Superior Court are divided among two divisions, the division of St. Croix and the division of St. Thomas/St. John. The position of presiding judge alternates every three years between the two superior court divisions to the judge with the most seniority. Judges are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature for a term of six years.

History

The 1921 territorial law created three Police Courts, one for St. Thomas and St. John, and two for St. Croix. The 1954 Revised Organic Act merged these into the Municipal Court of St. Thomas and St. John, and the Municipal Court of St. Croix. In 1965, these were merged into the Municipal Court of the Virgin Islands, and renamed the Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands in 1976. The court gained original jurisdiction over all local civil matters in 1991, and criminal matters in 1994; appeals were directed to the federal District Court of the Virgin Islands. When the

was created to accept appeals in 2004 (under a 1984 federal revision to the Revised Organic Act), the Territorial Court was renamed the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.

References

External links

Superior Court of the Virgin Islands

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

United States Virgin Islands law

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

Courts and tribunals with year of establishment missing {{US-law-stub