JUDICIAL BRANCH - Governor John P. deJongh

Nomination and Appointment of Public Defenders
The Public Defender of each division of the office is appointed by, and shall serve, at the will of the Public Defender
Administrative Board. The Board shall name one (1) appointee as Chief Public Defender, who shall serve a term of
three (3) years and may be reappointed. The Chief Public Defender may be terminated by the Board for cause. The
Public Defender for the St. Thomas/St. John Division of the Office shall reside in that division. The Public Defender
for the St. Croix division of the Office shall reside in that division. Public Defenders shall be chosen on the basis of
experience and the ability to defend persons accused of crimes.
Duties of Public Defenders
When representing an indigent client in a criminal proceeding before the Superior Court, the Public Defender shall
counsel and defend the client at every stage of the proceedings, and at any appeals or other remedies, before or
after conviction, that are considered to be in the interest of justice.
Each Public Defender must devote his/her full time to the discharge of duties and cannot directly or indirectly
engage in the private practice of law. Additionally, the Public Defender will not directly or indirectly refer any civil
or criminal litigation to any particular lawyer or lawyers. Moreover, the Public Defender will not directly or
indirectly recommend or suggest to any person the employment of a particular lawyer or lawyers to counsel,
conduct, defend, or prosecute any legal matter or litigation when such action would conflict with the duties of a
Public Defender.
The Chief Public Defender makes an annual report to all members of the Board. The report shall contain a brief
summary of all cases handled by the office during the preceding year.
Federal Prisoner Access to Legal Publications
The Chief Public Defender is authorized and directed to annually survey all federal prisons which houses prisoners
incarcerated after being convicted for violating criminal statutes of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The purpose of the
annual survey is to determine if the facility has made Virgin Islands legal publications and materials available to its
prisoners. If it is determined that the facility does not have U.S. Virgin Islands legal publications and materials the
Chief Public Defender shall forward the needed publications and materials to the facility. U.S. Virgin Islands legal
publications and materials means Volumes 1, 1A, 2, and 3 of the Virgin Islands Code, and its supplements, and the
volumes of the Virgin Islands reports which do not appear in the federal reports.
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