ST. THOMAS - Gov. John deJongh Jr. has nominated Adam Christian and Harold Willocks to be V.I. Superior Court judges.

Government House announced the nominations to the bench in a release issued Friday evening.

Christian, the governor's chief legal counsel, is nominated to replace Superior Court Judge Leon Kendall, who announced in February that he will retire from the bench at the end of his six-year term on Oct. 3. Willocks, the chief territorial public defender, will fill the vacancy left by the death of Judge Francis D'Eramo in late April.

In the prepared statement, deJongh described Christian as a "shining example of what we want and need so much in the Virgin Islands, a talented and well-educated native son who returned to build his career, his future, and raise his family here at home."

Christian, 43, is the son of former chief judge of the District Court of the Virgin Islands Almeric Christian. Born on St. Thomas, he earned a bachelor's degree in government from the University of Virginia in 1987 and a law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary in 1990, according to information Government House provided.

Christian worked as an attorney in Texas before returning in 1991 to the Virgin Islands, where he went to work as an associate at the Law Offices of Hodge & Francois. In 2007, he was appointed chief legal counsel to the governor.

"Adam Christian has shown me his intelligence, his common sense, his sense of right and wrong and his commitment to the Virgin Islands," deJongh said in the release. "Adam Christian does not believe in battling windmills, he believes in getting things done, in getting to a proper and legal solution to the myriad of problems that come to Government House."

In a telephone interview, Christian said he was "very much honored" by the nomination.

"I am looking forward to going through the process and hopeful of a successful outcome," he said.

The territory's judges are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

Christian said that if confirmed, he hopes "to do what I think most judges hope to do, which is to be able to provide justice to those who come before the court, both in criminal and civil cases, and to participate in development of legal precedents in the Virgin Islands - to continue the development of the third branch of government."

The governor said in his statement that he almost did not nominate Christian because he values Christian's "counsel, his legal opinions, his policy perspectives and his good sense. He has certainly set a high standard for all others to meet. But the interests of the broader community will be well-served by his service as a judge."

Willocks obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from Morgan State University and earned graduate credits in political science, public administration and philosophy at Howard University Graduate and Law School. He received a law degree from Antioch School of Law in 1987, according to information Government House released.

Willocks taught history at Central High School on St. Croix before earning his law degree and has worked as both an assistant attorney general for the V.I. Justice Department and for the Office of the Territorial Public Defender, where he has been the chief public defender since 1992.

In the prepared release, the governor said Willocks' service as a public defender has given him insights and experience into the territory's criminal justice system - as well as its criminals.

"Judges are supposed to be men and women of experience. Trial judges do not live in ivory towers surrounded only by papers and briefs and memoranda of law. They live in the real world and they must understand the real world," deJongh said in the release. "Harold Willocks is a man who understands the real world."

The Daily News was unable to reach Willocks for comment by presstime.

In the release, the governor said he believes both nominees will help the community meet the challenges generated by criminal activities.

"I do not undervalue the importance of the civil division's important tasks in our court system, but I do not think that we can take our attention off the vital work that the courts must play in assuring us all that justice is the overarching achievement of our criminal justice system," deJongh said in the release.

"Both of these nominees bring the trial experience and legal understanding necessary to these important positions. In this I must say that protecting our community from the suffering that has been caused by crime must come first."Β 

- Contact reporter Joy Blackburn at 774-8772 ext. 303 or e-mail jblackburn@dailynews.vi.