The justices of the Virgin Islands Supreme Court elected Associate Justice Harold W.L. Willocks to a five-year term as chief justice beginning December 13, 2026.
Willocks will succeed Rhys S. Hodge and become the court's second chief justice. The Judicial Branch says Hodge and Associate Justices Maria M. Cabret and Ive Arlington Swan, the court's three founding justices, plan to retire at the end of the year.
Virgin Islands law requires a majority of the full-time justices sitting together to select a chief justice from among their members no later than 60 days before the current term ends. The October 13 election included Hodge, Cabret, Willocks and Associate Justice Denise M. Francois.
Willocks joined the Supreme Court in 2024 after serving on the Superior Court. The announcement confirms the leadership selection but does not identify who will fill the seats left by the three planned retirements.
Source published October 13, 2026; publication time not displayed. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.
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