Virgin Islands judiciary asks Legislature for $53.1 million in FY2026 budget to fund staffing, capital projects and new conflict office

ST. THOMAS, V.I. — The judicial branch of the U.S. Virgin Islands asked the Legislature on July 17 to approve a $53,096,326 operating budget for fiscal year 2026 and separate funding for two related entities, saying the money is needed to maintain case-processing gains, fill critical vacancies and complete delayed capital work.

"I am Reese S. Hodge, chief justice of the Virgin Islands," Chief Justice Reese S. Hodge said as he opened the judiciary's presentation to the Committee on Budget, Appropriation and Finance. Hodge said the request also includes $145,342 for the Judicial Council and $1,105,131 to fully fund the Office of Conflict Counsel for FY2026.

The request focuses on personnel, capital projects and the newly established Office of Conflict Counsel (OCC). The judiciary asked for $36,145,053 for personnel services (including projected fringe), which incorporates a 4% market compensation adjustment the branch says was recommended by an independent review but not funded in prior years. The budget paper provided to senators lists 55 positions identified as critical vacancies; the judiciary estimated a prorated cost of $2,769,882 to fill those positions in FY2026 and warned the full-year impact in FY2027 would be about $5.5 million.

Hodge highlighted operational improvements documented in the judiciary's FY2024 annual report: the superior court reported a 92% overall case clearance rate for all cases in FY2024, a 106% clearance rate for superior-court civil divisions (excluding marriage-license and traffic matters), a 20% reduction in pending criminal matters and a 30% reduction in pending criminal jury cases compared with the prior year. Through June 30, 2025, he said the superior court was reporting continued reductions in pending civil and criminal caseloads and a 21% reduction in jury matters for the current fiscal year to date.

The judiciary also described capital needs. The FY2026 request includes $6,568,941 in capital funding: $4,100,000 for Phase 2 of the roof-replacement and office-expansion project at the R. H. Amplet Leader Justice Complex, $670,000 for air-conditioning infrastructure replacement, $672,712 for cybersecurity enhancements, roughly $366,000 for vehicle replacements and $366,622 for marshal office equipment, among other line items. The branch said the roof-replacement project was contracted in 2024, has been delayed by the federal consistency determination process and is expected to proceed with a notice-to-proceed around July 28, 2025.

On the Office of Conflict Counsel, the judiciary said the OCC began operations June 3, 2024, and as of June 16, 2025, had been appointed in 139 cases (119 major criminal felony matters and 24 juvenile matters), had closed 59 cases and maintained an active caseload of 80. The OCC currently has a chief conflict counsel, two assistant conflict counsels (one per district), one investigator in the St. Thomas–St. John District and one administrative staffer in each district; the judiciary said those positions are only partially funded through Dec. 31, 2026 by a grant and that a $500,000 appropriation provided under Act No. 89‑60 has not been released by the Office of Management and Budget.

Hodge asked the Legislature to consider the judiciary's request on its merits rather than limiting consideration to the executive branch's budget ceiling, which he said historically has constrained the branch. He cited local practice and national guidance — including Principle 18 of the Principles for Judicial Administration by the National Center for State Courts — that judicial budgets should be submitted directly to the legislature and considered as presented.

The chief justice also raised staffing challenges: as of June 30, 2025, the judiciary reported 308 filled positions (117 in the St. Thomas–St. John district and 138 in the St. Croix district), high turnover (47 separations in FY2024 and 35 separations or notices as of mid‑July 2025), and an average tenure of about nine years. The branch said a market review recommended a 4% adjustment to nonjudicial-officer salaries; the judiciary said it used prior limited increases to focus on employee retention but that the unpaid adjustment remains a priority.

Hodge drew attention to judicial vacancies that require gubernatorial appointment and legislative confirmation. He noted four superior-court judges had terms that expired in May, with only one reappointment and no new nominations at the time of testimony. He referenced Title 4, Section 72a of the Virgin Islands Code, which permits a 180‑day holdover period for incumbent judges, and urged support for Bill No. 36‑0101 to restore authority the judiciary says it previously had to recommend a senior sitting judge during vacancies.

The presentation closed with Hodge thanking judiciary staff and identifying two employees of the year. Judiciary officials present and available for questions included Presiding Judge Deborah S. Watlington; Administrative Judge A. Andrews (appearing from St. Croix); Regina Peterson, administrator of courts; Paulette Rapzat Simmons, chief financial officer; Coria Atley, human resources director; John Thompson, chief information officer; Kimlyn Etienne, comptroller; Miguel Tricoci, assistant administrator (St. Croix); Lawrence Walcott Jr., chief marshal; Tamara Charles, clerk of the superior court; and H. Hannibal O'Brien, chief conflict counsel.

No formal committee action or vote was recorded during the portion of the hearing captured in the transcript; committee members questioned the presenters and the session continued with follow-up questions about federal grants and funding details.