Judicial District of the Virgin Islands Act of 1998
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Courts and Intellectual Property.
Judicial District of the Virgin Islands Act of 1998 - Amends the Federal judicial code to establish a Federal judicial district in the Virgin Islands, composed of two divisions, one for Saint Croix and the other for Saint Thomas and Saint John. Provides two judges for such district. Repeals provisions of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands regarding judicial divisions, trial by jury, and the U.S. attorney for the Virgin Islands. Vests judicial power of the Virgin Islands in trial or appellate courts established by local law. (Currently, such power is also vested in the District Court of the Virgin Islands.) Requires the local courts of the Virgin Islands to have jurisdiction over all causes of action in the Islands over which any court established by the Constitution and U.S. laws does not have exclusive jurisdiction. (Currently, the Virgin Islands legislature may vest such jurisdiction in such courts.) Replaces references to the District Court of the Virgin Islands in provisions regarding jurisdiction over income tax matters and appellate jurisdiction with references to the U.S. District Court for the District of the Virgin Islands. Removes provisions regarding judges of the District Court of the Virgin Islands. Authorizes the temporary assignment of additional judges to the U.S. District Court for the Virgin Islands. Requires all pleadings and proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Virgin Islands to be conducted in English. Permits pending complaints or proceedings to be pursued to final determination in such court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Supreme Court. Deems references to the District Court of the Virgin Islands in any law to be references to the United States District Court for the Virgin Islands.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on April 1, 1998. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 26, 1998: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 105th Congress (1997-98), 394 of the 7,729 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 5.1 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
DONNA CHRISTIAN-GREEN (D-VI) introduced it on April 1, 1998. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on April 1, 1998, 10389 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 10303 days ago, on June 26, 1998.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 105th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1999 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers