Virgin Islands District Court Chief Judge Robert A. Molloy, who has presided over the Division of St. Thomas and St. John since his appointment to the federal bench in April 2020, has relocated to St. Croix, per an order of the Judicial Council of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
According to the order Molloy, 49, a native of St. Croix, had “expressed a desire” to relocate his duty station to the big island.
The move comes after Judge Wilma Lewis transitioned to senior status in February, stepping down from full-time service in the Division of St. Croix but extending her tenure until February 2026 after she was immediately recalled to continue serving the court.
Noting that the District Court of the Virgin Islands requires a judge in each division, the order signed by Third Circuit Chief Judge Michael Chagares said Molloy will continue to also preside over cases on St. Thomas and St. John until the vacancy in that division is filled.
According to the order, dated June 24, Molloy’s relocation took effect Aug. 1.
Molloy, a former Superior Court judge, was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2019 and appointed to the federal bench in April 2020 after his unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate. He replaced Judge Curtis V. Gomez on St. Thomas and St. John.
Prior to his appointment, Molloy served a six-year term as judge of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands after he was nominated by then Gov. John de Jongh Jr. in July 2013 and approved by the V.I. Legislature that September.
Molloy graduated from St. Dunstan’s Episcopal School in 1993. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management, cum laude, from Hampton University in 1997; a Juris Doctor degree from American University Washington College of Law in 2003; and an MBA with a concentration in finance from American University Kogod School of Business in 2004.
The Source reached out to the Clerk of Court’s office for comment from Molloy but did not receive a reply by press time.
