Francis J. D'Eramo, BA, JD, from December 2006 until April 2009, served as a

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

at the

United States Virgin Islands Superior Court The Virgin Islands Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction for the United States Virgin Islands. The court is composed of nine judges. They are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature. Effective January 29, 20 ...

on the

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

of St. Croix. Before joining the Superior Court, he spent over 20 years in private practice in Christiansted, St. Croix.

Career

D'Eramo was born in

Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Aliquippa is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 9,238 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located northwest of Pittsburgh and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan ar ...

in 1959, and moved to the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

in 1985 to work as an attorney with Isherwood, Hunter and Colianni. In 1987, he took a position with the Nichols, Newman, Silverlight

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

, and became a partner in 1997. D'Eramo was a civil lawyer, practicing in the areas of employment law, banking, and commercial law. He served as

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

non-profit organizations A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

such as The Village-Virgin Islands Partners in Recover, V.I. Perinatal, Inc., The St. Croix Montessori School, and St. Croix Country Day School. D'Eramo was president of the V.I. Legal Assistance Foundation (which administers IOLTA funds) from 1996 to 2006, and again from 2007 to the present. He is a member of the Virgin Islands and Pennsylvania Bar associations and was admitted to practice before the

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district courts for the following United Sta ...

in 1987. In 2006 he received the Winston A. Hodge Award for service to the community from the Virgin Islands Bar Association. He has published articles for the Black Law Journal, Civil Rights Litigators' Annual, Virgin Islands Bar Journal and the Virgin Islands Daily News.

Education

D'Eramo attended

the University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Catholic religious order o ...

for his undergraduate education in the Great Books program and later the

University of Pittsburgh School of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law) is the law school of the University of Pittsburgh, a public research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and became a charter member of the Association of American ...

, where he was a member of the

Law Review A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also provide ...

. He graduated from Hopewell High School, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania in June 1978.

Death

D'Eramo was found dead in his Christiansted home on April 27, 2009. The USVI District Attorney's office released a preliminary statement on April 28, 2009, indicating that D'Eramo took his own life. He was last seen alive the evening of April 25, 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Eramo, Francis 1959 births 2009 suicides 2009 deaths People from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Suicides in the United States Virgin Islands United States Virgin Islands lawyers United States Virgin Islands judges American politicians who died by suicide University of Notre Dame alumni University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 20th-century American judges