Title 4 — Judiciary
22 chapters · 138 sections in this title.
4 V.I.C. § 93 Duties of Director [Repealed]
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4 V.I.C. § 93 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.
4 V.I.C. § 94 Cooperation by judicial personnel [Repealed]
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4 V.I.C. § 94 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.
4 V.I.C. § 95 Director's seal [Repealed]
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4 V.I.C. § 95 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.
4 V.I.C. § 96 Authority of court and judicial council [Repealed]
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4 V.I.C. § 96 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.
4 V.I.C. § 111 Small claims division
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There is in the Superior Court a small claims division, in which the procedure shall be as informal and summary as is consistent with justice.
4 V.I.C. § 112 Jurisdiction of small claims; appearance in person
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(a) The small claims division of the Superior Court has jurisdiction of all civil actions, concurrently with the civil division of the said court, wherein the amount in controversy does not exceed the sum or value of $10,000, exclusive of interest and costs. (b) Where the amount …
4 V.I.C. § 120 Magistrate Division
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There is established in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands a Magistrate Division in which the procedure, unless otherwise specified, is in accordance with the rules governing the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
4 V.I.C. § 121 Composition
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The Magistrate Division consists of no fewer than two magistrate judges per judicial district and other officers and employees as the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court subject to the authority of the Supreme Court considers necessary for the proper administration and performa…
4 V.I.C. § 122 Selection, appointment, qualifications and salaries of magistrate judges
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(a) The Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands shall appoint magistrate judges from a list of nominees submitted to the Superior Court by magistrate judge selection panel of the Superior Court pursuant to subsection (e) of this section. Magistrate judges may …
4 V.I.C. § 123 Jurisdiction and powers of Magistrate Division
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(a) Each magistrate judge may:(1) administer oaths and affirmations and issue civil and criminal process, including warrants of arrest, search warrants, subpoenas, and orders, including orders for the release on bail, for detention of persons pending trial and for contempt;(2) ta…
4 V.I.C. § 124 Magistrate judge's traffic jurisdiction
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(a) For purposes of this chapter, the term, “traffic offense”, means any conduct or violation of the provisions of titles 20 and 23 of the Virgin Islands Code and related regulations, relating to motor vehicles or pedestrians, or a moving or non-moving violation, which is punisha…
4 V.I.C. § 125 Appeals from the Magistrate Division
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All appeals from the Magistrate Division, except as otherwise provided for in this chapter, must be filed in the Superior Court or to the Supreme Court, if appealable to the Supreme Court as provided by law.
4 V.I.C. § 126 Rules and procedures
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The Supreme Court shall promulgate rules and amendments to the Rules of the Superior Court as necessary to implement this chapter effectively.
4 V.I.C. § 141 Conciliation division
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There shall be in the Superior Court a conciliation division.
4 V.I.C. § 142 Jurisdiction of disputes
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The conciliation division of the Superior Court may, at the request of any party to a civil controversy, endeavor to effect an amicable settlement of the controversy, and, to that end, may summon the other party or parties to the controversy to appear before the judge for an info…
4 V.I.C. § 171 Tenure of judges in the Family Division of the Superior Court; qualifications
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(a) The Governor shall appoint pursuant to section 72 of this title, two Superior Court judges to the Family Division of the Superior Court, one in the division of St. Croix and the other in the division of St. Thomas-St. John. (b) The Presiding Judge shall assign a judge to serv…
4 V.I.C. § 172 Jurisdiction over children
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(a) Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, the Family Division of the Superior Court shall have original jurisdiction:(a) Concerning any child living or found within the geographical limits of its jurisdiction:(1) who is neglected or abused;(2) whose occupation, behavior, …
4 V.I.C. § 173 Retention of jurisdiction
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(a) When jurisdiction shall have been obtained by the Family Division in the case of any child, such jurisdiction may be retained by the Division until he becomes 19 years of age, unless he is discharged prior thereto by the court. This section does not affect the jurisdiction of…
4 V.I.C. § 174 Facilities and support personnel for the Family Division
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The Superior Court shall provide for the Family Division hearing rooms that are adequate, appropriate, and safely maintained. The Superior Court shall place as a high priority securing courtrooms and support personnel for the Family Division which are separate and apart from the …
4 V.I.C. § 175 Periodic inspection by the Family Division judge
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Family Division judges shall visit, at least annually, the juvenile pre-trial detention facilities, shelter care facilities, and any other facility providing services to juveniles as a dispositional alternative.
4 V.I.C. § 176 Definitions
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For purposes of this chapter, the terms “adult”, “child”, “delinquent act”, “neglected or abused” and “person in need of supervision” shall have the same meaning as defined in section 2502 of Title 5, of this code.
4 V.I.C. § 177 Detention centers of Department of Social Welfare
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The Department of Social Welfare shall establish and maintain a detention center within the jurisdiction of Saint Thomas and Saint John and the jurisdiction of Saint Croix for the purpose of detaining any child under the age of 18 years who is charged with and offense which would…
4 V.I.C. § 211 Composition
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There shall be a Judicial Council of the Virgin Islands which shall consist of the justices of the Supreme Court, the chief justice of which shall be chairman, the presiding justice of the Superior Court, another judge of the Superior Court to be designated from time to time by t…
4 V.I.C. § 212 Powers and duties
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(a) The Judicial Council shall serve as a forum for representatives from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the Government of the Virgin Islands and the Virgin Islands Bar Association to discuss matters of common concern, such as improving the administration of …
4 V.I.C. § 213 Travel and per diem
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The members of the Judicial Council shall serve without compensation but the provisions of section 65 of Title 3 of this code shall apply to such members. All vouchers for the payment of travel expenses or per diem pursuant to this section shall be certified by the Chairman of th…
4 V.I.C. § 214 Repealed. Oct. 29, 2004, No. 6687, § 13(c), Sess. L. 2004, p. 190
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4 V.I.C. § 214 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.
4 V.I.C. § 215 Separate Accounts
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Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the Judicial Council and the Superior Court, in order to promote their orderly and efficient administration and operation, are hereby authorized to establish and maintain separate accounts for the prompt payment of their respective o…
4 V.I.C. § 241 Proceedings and records public
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The sessions of every court of justice shall be open to the public, except as otherwise provided in subtitle 2 of Title 5. The records of every court of justice shall be public records and, except as otherwise provided in subtitle 2 of Title 5, shall be open to the inspection of …
4 V.I.C. § 242 Civil liability of judge
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No judge or justice shall be liable in a civil action for damages by reason of any judicial action taken or judgment or decision rendered by him in good faith.
4 V.I.C. § 243 Incidental powers of courts
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(1) Every court shall have power:(1) To preserve and enforce order in its immediate presence;(2) To enforce order in the proceedings before it, or before a person or persons empowered to conduct a judicial investigation under its authority;(3) To provide for the orderly conduct o…
4 V.I.C. § 244 Contempt of court
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Any person who wilfully violates, neglects or refuses to observe or perform any lawful order of a court shall be guilty of contempt of court and upon being found guilty of such contempt may be punished as provided by law.
4 V.I.C. § 245 Adjournment for absence of judge
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If no judge attends on the day appointed for a session of any court, or on the day to which it may have adjourned, the clerk may adjourn the court until the next day and so on from day to day until the judge attends or by written order directs the court to be adjourned to a day c…
4 V.I.C. § 246 Repealed. Fed. 8, 1965, No. 1291, § 13, Sess. L. 1965, Pt. I, p. 11
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4 V.I.C. § 246 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.
4 V.I.C. § 247 Seal
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Each court shall have a seal which shall be kept by its clerk.
4 V.I.C. § 281 Powers of judicial officers as to conduct of proceeding
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(1) Every judicial officer shall have power:(1) To preserve and enforce order in his immediate presence and in the proceedings before him, when he is engaged in the performance of a duty imposed on him by law;(2) To compel obedience to his lawful orders;(3) To compel the attendan…
4 V.I.C. § 282 Power to punish for contempt
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For the effectual exercise of the powers conferred in the last section a judicial officer may punish for contempt in the cases and in the manner provided by law.
4 V.I.C. § 283 Power to administer oaths and take acknowledgments
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Every judicial officer and every clerk of court and his deputies shall have power to administer oaths and to take acknowledgments of deeds and other written instruments.
4 V.I.C. § 284 Disqualifications of judge
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(1) No judge or justice shall sit or act as such in any action or proceeding:(1) To which he is a party or in which he is primarily interested;(2) When he is related to either party, or to an officer of a corporation which is a party, by blood or marriage within the third degree;…
4 V.I.C. § 285 Duty to disclose disqualification
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Whenever a judge shall have knowledge of any fact which, under the provisions of section 284 of this title, disqualifies him to sit or act as such in any action or proceeding pending before him, it shall be his duty to declare the same in open court and cause a memorandum thereof…
4 V.I.C. § 286 Objection to competency; decision
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No challenge as to the competency of any judge shall be received or allowed; but if it is plain that the judge is disqualified under the provisions of section 284 of this title, the party objecting to competency may, in writing, file with the judge his objection, stating the grou…
4 V.I.C. § 287 Proceedings when judge disqualified
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Whenever the judge of the district court is disqualified under the provision of section 284 of this title to sit in any action or proceeding he shall immediately notify the chief judge of the Third Judicial Circuit of his disqualification. Whenever a judge of the Superior Court i…
4 V.I.C. § 288 Restrictions on activities of judges and court officers
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(a) No justice, judge, clerk of court, deputy, assistant or other officer or employee of a court shall practice law during his continuance in office or be in partnership with a practicing attorney. (b) Justices of the Supreme Court and Judges of the Superior Court shall devote al…
4 V.I.C. § 289 Repealed. July 19, 1968, No. 2318, § 3, Sess. L. 1968, Pt. II, p. 300
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4 V.I.C. § 289 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.
4 V.I.C. § 321 Proceedings not affected by vacancy in office
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No proceeding pending in any court of justice shall be affected by a vacancy in the office of the judge thereof.
4 V.I.C. § 322 Proceedings to be in English language
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Every written proceeding in a court of justice of the Virgin Islands shall be in the English language and judicial proceedings shall be conducted, preserved and published in no other language.
4 V.I.C. § 323 Interpreters
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Whenever the services of an interpreter are deemed by the judge presiding in a court of justice in this territory to be required in a trial or other proceeding in such court the judge may appoint a qualified person to act temporarily as an interpreter in such court. Any interpret…
4 V.I.C. § 324 Means to carry jurisdiction into effect
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When jurisdiction is by law conferred on a court or judicial officer, all the means necessary to carry it into effect are also given; and in the exercise of this jurisdiction, if the course of the proceedings is not specially pointed out by law or by rules of procedure adopted pu…
4 V.I.C. § 351 Office of the Marshal of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands
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(a) There is established in the judicial branch the Office of the Virgin Islands Marshal. At the head of the Office of the Virgin Islands Marshal is a Chief Marshal who shall administer the Office of the Virgin Islands Marshal, subject to the supervision, control and direction of…
4 V.I.C. § 352 Payment of costs of storage of personal property
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The Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands may issue and promulgate rules for the payments of costs incurred by the office of the Virgin Islands marshal in the storage of items of personal property taken into custody by the office of the Virgin Islands marshal pursuant to court orde…
4 V.I.C. § 381 Duties generally
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(1) The clerk of the Superior Court shall:(1) Take charge of and safely keep, or dispose of according to law, all books, papers and records which may be filed and deposited in his office;(2) Supervise and direct the work of his deputies and assistants;(3) Attend in person or by d…