ST. CROIX -- Thirty-first Legislature senators on Tuesday approved attorney Jomo Meade as a Superior Court judge to serve on this island. The approval follows that of Renee Gumbs Carty's and recent swearing-in ceremony. She will serve the St. Thomas-St. John district.
Virgin Islands Code § 71 mandates an equal distribution of judges between the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John divisions. Presently -- with the recent addition of Judge Gumbs Carty -- there are six judges who serve in the St. Thomas-St. John division and, with the addition of Mr. Meade, five in the St. Croix district. For years, there has been a disparity between the two divisions, as several governors had failed to submit nominations for a fifth judgeship in St. Croix. This has caused a large number criminal cases to remain pending while suspects sit in jail for multiple years, which has resulted in additional expenses to the Bureau of Corrections, as the cost of housing inmates in the territory currently stands at $150 daily.
Governor Kenneth Mapp's appointments is attempt to rectify the problem.
Mr. Meade was unanimously approved.
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