A Case of First Impression

In the year 2007 - ninety years after becoming a U.S. territory - the U.S. Virgin Islands Supreme Court opened its doors and heard its first case.  Four years later, the USVI Supreme Court overturned the local common law system and declared all prior decisions (including its own decisions) to be non-binding.

With one decision, a new U.S. common law system was born. 

Now, with less than a decade of precedential decisions to reference, attorneys in the USVI are faced with the unique challenge of practicing law in a jurisdiction where most common law issues are matters of first impression.

This episode explores the evolving nature of the U.S. Virgin Islands judiciary throughout history and sets the stage for discussing the future of the common law in the USVI.