Gordon Rhea takes oath of office to head Justice Department

Gordon C. Rhea has officially been sworn in as attorney general to lead the V.I. Department of Justice.

Rhea was administered the oath of office Friday by Supreme Court Justice Harold W.L. Willocks at Government House on St. Croix. Government House, in a statement following Rhea’s formal swearing in, noted that he has “served as a federal prosecutor, a local prosecutor in the Virgin Islands, a defense attorney, a major civil practitioner and an appellate lawyer.” Rhea, a member of the Virgin Islands Bar Association for over 40 years, received its highest honor — the Winston A. Hodge Award for Public Service — in 2023. According to the statement, both Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Lt. Gov. Tregenza A. Roach praised Rhea’s experience as a prosecutor and defense attorney.

“I value having the blessing of having a person that had the experience on both the prosecution side and the defense side, that has the balance of mind in order to run a fair Attorney General’s Office, and the intelligence that will add to our Department of Justice for years to come,” Bryan said. Rhea, in brief remarks, said the Justice Department pledged to improve the DOJ, which for years has been understaffed among its challenges. “I’d like to get the Department of Justice up to full strength,” he said. “We’re missing a lot of people that we need, and I’d like to bring more in. I’d like to recruit more attorneys, and I’d like to bring in more local attorneys, attorneys from the Virgin Islands who know these islands. That’s a big part of my agenda. I’m also interested in modernizing the office, bringing in a modern case management system.”