Oct. 5, 2006 — Judge Rhys S. Hodge was all smiles Thursday as his renomination to serve on the bench of the Superior Court was unanimously approved during a full Senate session.
The nomination of Francis D'Eramo, appointed in June by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to serve as a Superior Court judge, was also unanimously approved, along with four other nominees appointed to serve on various government boards and commissions.
Senators heaped praise on all the nominees during the session, but singled out Hodge for his "continuous" service to the local community.
"You have been blessed with the temperament and demeanor characteristic of a judge," Sen. Neville James noted. "And we all know that you will continue to serve with distinction during your second term on the bench."
Hodge's first term as a Superior Court Judge expired in June.
He currently serves as the presiding judge of the Superior Court, replacing Judge Maria M. Cabret, who retired in June.
After the renomination was approved, Hodge thanked senators for their confidence in his ability and promised to "try and live up to" the community's expectations.
He also pledged that he would continue to "do his best" throughout his second term.
"I thank everyone who supported me when my nomination came to the Rules Committee," Hodge said. "And I thank those who have called me, and those who have held me in their prayers. Most especially, I thank the community for receiving me."
Senators urged Hodge to play mentor to attorney Francis D'Eramo, whose nomination to serve as a Superior Court Judge on St. Croix was also unanimously approved Thursday. D'Eramo appointment will fill the vacancy left by Cabret.
Dismissing a fax sent to the Legislature early Thursday morning from an unspecified source questioning D'Eramo's character, senators said they had "done their due diligence on the nominee" and were convinced that D'Eramo was the "best person for the job."
Many said they had also recently received many "unsolicited" phone calls from community members voicing their support for D'Eramo, and had "laid to rest any concerns" about his character.
"You are a very bright individual, who has the ability to keep up with matters on your docket," Sen. Lorraine L. Berry said. "There are many judges who are not as up to par with cases that are before them, and let some cases linger for many years."
D'Eramo was also smiling as he addressed the full Senate body, calling the approval of his nomination the "supreme moment of my 21 years of practicing law in the Virgin Islands."
"What I would like, and what I hope occurs, is that when I finally step down from the bench, people will say, 'He was a member of our community; he was courteous and he was not afraid to make decisions.' When they say that, then I will know that I was successful," D'Eramo added.
During the session, senators also approved the nominations of:
— Wallace W. Phaire to the Hospital & Health Facilities Corporation District Board, St. Croix;
— Dennis Alphonso Howell to the Parole Board;
— Yvonne Thraen to the Governing Board of the V.I. Port Authority; and
— Jose Raul Carrillo to the V.I. Public Television System Board.
Present during Thursday's session were Sens. Craig W. Barshinger, Berry, Roosevelt C. David, Liston Davis, Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Juan Figueroa-Serville, Louis P. Hill, James, Norman Jn Baptiste, Shawn-Michael Malone, Terrence "Positive" Nelson, Ronald E. Russell and Celestino A. White Sr.
Sens. Pedro "Pete" Encarnacion and Usie R. Richards were absent.
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