U.S. Virgin Islands Law

The U.S. Virgin Islands are an unincorporated territory of the United States. Many but not all federal laws apply to the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition to the U.S. Constitution, which is the supreme law of the U.S., federal laws include statutes that are periodically codified in the U.S. Code. Federal laws also include decisions by courts that interpret federal laws. Finally, federal laws include regulations issued by federal administrative agencies to implement federal laws. You can explore federal laws and related resources by visiting the federal law section of the Justia site.

The U.S. Virgin Islands do not have their own constitution. The main governing document of the U.S. Virgin Islands is the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1954. Other Virgin Islands laws include laws that are passed by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands and periodically codified in the U.S. Virgin Islands Code, as well as decisions by courts that interpret the laws of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The laws of the U.S. Virgin Islands are often interpreted by the Virgin Islands Supreme Court, which is the only appellate court in the territory. The federal Virgin Islands District Court also issues decisions that may affect residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals holds the authority to review decisions by the Virgin Islands District Court. Sometimes the U.S. Supreme Court may review a case that has been appealed from the Third Circuit or from the Virgin Islands Supreme Court.