Senate rules committee forwards Judge Jessica Gallivan's renomination after hourlong review of caseloads, child-welfare concerns

The Committee on Rules and Judiciary of the 30th Legislature of the Virgin Islands voted 7-0 on April 24 to forward the governor's renomination of Superior Court Judge Jessica Gallivan (St. Croix District) to the full Senate after a hearing in which Gallivan and legal community members described her workload and the territory's court challenges.

Gallivan described her tenure and docket to the committee and asked senators to confirm her for a second term. Her testimony emphasized daily courtroom activity, outreach work with youth and at-risk populations, and efforts to move cases to resolution.

The hearing drew formal endorsements from the Virgin Islands Bar Association and a written presentation from attorney Adrianne Dudley; both speakers urged the committee to support Gallivan's renomination. Russell Pate, president of the Virgin Islands Bar Association, told the committee: "Judge Gallivan is known for her work ethic, her judicial temperament, her excellent reputation, her professionalism, and that I and the bar support her renomination." Attorney Adrianne Dudley said Gallivan's "high intelligence coupled with her kind and understanding nature" helps her connect with children and families who appear before her.

Gallivan told senators she is nominated under Title 4, Virgin Islands Code —172 and —171(c). She said she has an active calendar: "I am in hearings nearly every day, and my office produces thousands of orders each year." In the hearing she stated, verbatim, "In almost 6 years that I have served as a Superior Court Judge, I have entered more than 11,310 orders and closed as of April 1657 cases." She also provided a more detailed snapshot of her current docket, saying "I currently have 203 cases" and adding that "114 of them are guardianships," which she said often remain open for many years because of the nature of guardianship and conservatorship cases.

Senators questioned Gallivan for roughly one round each; areas of focus included child-abuse and neglect caseloads, implementation of the Child Victim Witnesses Rights Act, the court's relationship with Department of Human Services (DHS), and mental-health services for people who come before the court. Gallivan said she has seen a disconnect between reports of abuse and filed cases, that DHS documents and recordkeeping can hamper coordinated service delivery, and that the court needs additional staff and resources.

On DHS and case management, Gallivan told the committee: "They need to develop a central system for storing and maintaining information about children and families. Right now, as I understand it... they put all of their documents on Google" and she said that raises confidentiality and cross-referencing concerns. Senators pressed her about whether the court or judges themselves contribute to backlog; Gallivan responded that multiple factors contribute, including attorneys, parties, agency capacity and judges'willingness to deny continuances when appropriate.

Committee members repeatedly raised funding and staffing concerns. Senate President Milton E. Potter and others highlighted the broader court backlog and infrastructure needs; Gallivan said court employees are frequently recruited away by other employers because the court cannot match private-sector salaries, and she said building and security issues exist at the courthouse.

Gallivan described courtroom practice and decisionmaking: she said she prepares in advance, reviews reports from agencies, consults law clerks and, when appropriate, discusses difficult questions with colleagues. She described steps she takes to guard against unconscious bias: "you have to constantly reassess. You have to spend time with the facts, with the evidence, and the law. You cannot be too hasty."

After questioning, the committee voted to move the nomination forward. Senator Kenneth L. Gittens moved that the renomination be "voted upon favorably here in this committee and be forwarded to the full body for further consideration," a motion seconded by Senator Milton E. Potter. The clerk recorded a 7-0 favorable vote and the committee issued a report to the full Senate for final confirmation.

Votes at a glance

- Renomination of Jessica Gallivan, Superior Court Judge (St. Croix District): Committee vote 7-0 to forward favorably. Motion moved by Senator Kenneth L. Gittens; seconded by Senator Milton E. Potter. (Roll-call names recorded in committee transcript.)

Why it matters: Gallivan's confirmation would keep an experienced jurist on the family-court bench; senators used the hearing to highlight systemic problems the courts face, including high caseloads, staff recruitment and retention, DHS recordkeeping, and the need for mental-health and social-service resources.

What the committee did not decide: The committee did not change court funding, alter DHS practice, or adopt additional statutory requirements during the hearing; those remain separate policy questions for the Legislature and executive branch.

Sources and provenance

- Testimony excerpted from committee hearing transcript: Judge Jessica Gallivan's opening statement and docket numbers; Russell Pate (Virgin Islands Bar Association) endorsement; attorney Adrianne Dudley's remarks. (Transcript segments cited below in provenance.)

Ending: The committee's favorable vote sends Gallivan's renomination to the full Senate for final confirmation. Senators and the judge highlighted next steps outside the nomination process: improved DHS recordkeeping, court staffing and funding, and expanded mental-health and youth services for cases that come before family court.