ST. CROIX — After serving as a law clerk, staff attorney, appellate public defender, and prosecutor, Venetia Harvey Velazquez has been appointed as magistrate judge of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, Division of St. Croix for a four-year term beginning November 4.
As she prepares to assume her duties on the bench to fill a vacancy left after former Magistrate Judge Ernest Morris Jr. became appointed as a Superior Court judge, Velazquez stressed her dedication to public service.
“I don't see this as some personal accomplishment,” she said by phone. “I really see this as an extension of my public service, and I am looking forward to invest in the time, energy, efforts, and my skills to making sure I deliver in accordance with the responsibilities of a magistrate.”
A native of St. Croix and graduate from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., Velazquez started her legal career as a summer law clerk at the Superior Court in 1998 and the District Court in 1999. She then served as a Superior Court law clerk for two years. She said she decided she wanted to be a lawyer from an early age, adding that her studies in the field of political science while at Howard University solidified her goal of becoming a lawyer.
“What I learned is that in a democracy, the law is the one thing that equalizes everyone regardless of social status, name, income, your station in life,” she said. “The rule of law is the equalizing factor where everyone is treated the same. The law applies to everyone equally, and so that is exactly what attracted me to the field of law.”
After her time as law clerk, Velazquez spent four years and four months as a staff attorney in the District Court’s Appellate Division. She then served as clerk of the court for the VI Supreme Court for just over a year before becoming clerk of the court for the Superior Court in 2008.
After six years as Superior Court clerk, Velazquez briefly served as deputy general counsel to former Governor Kenneth Mapp. She joined the Office of the Territorial Public Defender in January 2014 as an appellate public defender, representing indigent persons challenging their convictions on appeal before the Supreme Court and in initial proceedings before the Superior Court.
“My entire career has been in the public sector, and that is what I’ve always intended to do and been drawn to do, so I have always been in service in the public sector,” Velazquez said. “When I went to the Public Defender’s Office, I was hired as an appellate public defender to challenge criminal convictions, and I did so successfully, and I also performed work in the trial section of the Public Defender’s Office, appearing in the magistrate court and in the Superior Court on behalf of criminal defendants.”
Velazquez joined the Virgin Islands Department of Justice about nine years ago as an assistant attorney general. She became chief of the department’s Civil Division in March 2023, concluding her time with the DOJ last week.
Attorney General-designee Gordon Rhea discussed the appointment of Velazquez as magistrate judge, praising her as a talented, fair, and hardworking attorney. He said that while her departure from the DOJ is a loss, she will be an asset to the Superior Court and the people of the Virgin Islands.
“I’m convinced she’s going to be fair, she’s going to be honest, she’s going to listen to both sides, and she’ll do what we want judges and magistrates to do, and that is come up with very fair decisions,” Rhea said by phone.
Now that Velazquez will no longer serve as chief of the DOJ’s Civil Division, Rhea said Assistant Attorney General Christopher Timmons is taking her place. He said Timmons is already serving in an acting capacity until he formally becomes the division’s chief.
“I’ve been working with him very closely over the last two or three days, and he’s been in that position, and I have to say, he’s been doing a spectacular job,” Rhea said. “While I miss Venetia Velasquez, I’m glad that someone has come into her place who’s really able to step into issues with some real talent and skill.”
In addition to her accomplishments in the field of law, Velazquez has experience as a journalist and high school teacher. She is also a part-time adjunct instructor in the Criminal Justice Program at the University of the Virgin Islands, a role she said has forced her to continue her research even as she served in the DOJ’s Civil Division. She said she thinks all her experiences have prepared her for the bench, specifically her time as a public defender and prosecutor.
“I think that serving in those seemingly opposing roles gives you an important perspective,” Velazquez said. “It’s one thing to be well-versed in the law, and I think I am very well-versed in the law and the criminal law, and also as a civil litigator, but it’s another thing to have experienced what it is to be on both sides of the fence because it engenders greater understanding, not only of what each person is coming to the table with, their burdens, actual and legal burden, but also to understand some of the challenges that each side may be facing, so I believe it just gives perspective, understanding, and just allows you to do your job.”
Presiding Judge Debra Watlington announced the appointment of Velazquez as magistrate judge in a press release issued today that outlined the duties of a magistrate, provided information about the previous roles Velazquez has served in throughout her legal career, and indicated that Velazquez brings with her experience as a certified mediator and trained arbitrator to the bench. Watlington warmly welcomed Velazquez to the Superior Court family, thanking her for her willingness to serve.
Velazquez discussed the process that led to her selection and appointment as magistrate judge.
“Pursuant to the law, a magistrate judge is selected by being vetted by a panel of 11 persons, including lawyers and nonlawyers, and the recommendation is then submitted to the judges of the Superior Court, who then select from the persons that was submitted by the magistrate panel,” Velazquez said. “And so, having gone through that rigorous vetting process, I want to say thank you to the members of the selection panel and to the judges of the Superior Court for having selected me and to Presiding Judge Watlington for having appointed me to serve in what I view as a very important position in the legal system.”
