US Virgin Islands first Supreme Court Judges; Ive Swan; Chief Judge Rhys Hodge and Maria Cabret

The oath of office was administered by Judge Michael Fisher of the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals. The ceremony, held in the grand ballroom of Government House was attended by a host of dignitaries, family, friends and well-wishers.

All of the new judges have a distinguished record of service in the Virgin Islands judiciary. Cabret has 19 years of experience as a VI judge and recently served as Territorial Court judge – the second woman and the first of Puerto Rican descent in the Virgin Islands to have such an honour.

Hodge opened his private practice 1979 and was confirmed in 1999 as Territorial Court judge. He was named presiding judge of that court in 2006 and is currently serving his second six-year term on the bench. Hodge has been selected as chief justice of the newly-formed Supreme Court.

Swan began his legal career in 1970 and has held the office of attorney general, along with judgeships on the Territorial, Superior and Appellate courts.

Cabret was born on St Croix while Swan was born on St Thomas. Hodge, an Anguilla native, has lived on St Thomas since he was a teenager. The judges were nominated to the Supreme Court by Gov. Charles Turnbull in July and unanimously approved by the Legislature in October.

The Virgin Islands has had the power to create a Supreme Court since 1984 when Congress amended the Revised Organic Act. However, that right was never taken advantage of until now. The US Virgin Islands is the last sovereign jurisdiction under the US flag to establish its own court of appeals.

Legislation establishing the Supreme Court was originally proposed by Virgin Islands Sen. Carlton Dowe in the 24th Legislature (2001-2002). Gov. Turnbull signed the measure into law in October 2004.

The establishment of a USVI Supreme Court "will eliminate the final remnants of federal judicial involvement in purely local legal matters and firmly place the local judiciary on equal footing with its state and territorial counterparts," according to VI Bar Association president, Amos Carty.