Residents filled the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall on St. Thomas Tuesday as it seldom is filled during a Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs, and Consumer Protection meeting. Residents were there to support a bill naming the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands the Judge Verne A. Hodge Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
They heard over four hours of praise for Hodge from judiciary dignitaries such as Supreme Court Chief Justice Rhys Hodge, Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Cabret, and Superior Court Presiding Judge Debra Watlington.
Rhys called Hodge “one of the founding fathers of the Virgin Islands Judiciary.”
In outlining Hodge’s life, he said, “Before becoming a lawyer, Judge Hodge graduated magna cum laude from Hampton University in 1956 and shortly thereafter served his country in the United States Army. After concluding his military service, Judge Hodge returned to the Virgin Islands to work in both the public and private sectors as an auditor, accountant, and personnel manager. Law, however, was always Judge Hodge’s calling. A decade after graduating from college, Judge Hodge enrolled in the Howard University School of Law, from which he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1969. Later that same year, he was admitted to the V. I. Bar Association and engaged in the private practice of law until 1973, when he became the Attorney General of the Virgin Islands under Governor Cyril E. King.”
Rhys said that the Virgin Islands will remember Hodge mostly for his role as presiding judge of the court then known as the Territorial Court, which has since been renamed the Superior Court. According to Rhys, Hodge “oversaw one of the greatest transformations of the Virgin Islands legal system: the creation of the modern Superior Court.”
Hodge, who retired in 1999 and will be 91 in November, attended the hearing and answered senators’ questions.
He urged senators to marshal forces with everyone they could to get Virgin Islanders the right to vote in presidential elections. He said the right to vote in presidential elections was essential for Virgin Islanders “to really feel part of the United States of America.” He said the territory did not need to fight alone and should incorporate the help of America, such as American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
When asked what advice he would have for the attorney general, he answered simply that they “must follow the law.” He added that he was troubled by that office’s recent high turnover rate.
As for the senators, Hodge said they must support academic endowments.
Judge Cabret pointed out that it is rare for a judicial officer to testify in support of any legislative bill, but this one was an exception.
She also pointed out that Hodge was the presiding judge when the Alexander A. Farrelly Justice Center was built and that he created the Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra.
She added, “I felt truly privileged to be under his tutelage, and I will be forever grateful to him for his guidance and sage counsel.”
His daughter Bridget Hodge was also in the chamber. She testified, “With all that he has been to this community throughout his career, he was, first and foremost, a father.”
All the senators present voted favorably on moving the bill forward to the Rules and Judiciary Committee. Sen. Kenneth Gittens said he did not expect a veto of the bill when it landed on Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s desk because his Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach was one of the testifiers in support of the bill.
Sens. Gittens, Javan James Sr., Angel Bolques Jr., Marvin Blyden, Dwayne DeGraff, Samuel Carrion, Novelle Francis, Alma Francis Heyliger, Carla Joseph, Milton Potter, and Ray Fonseca attended the meeting.
