
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 48USC1612]

 
              TITLE 48--TERRITORIES AND INSULAR POSSESSIONS
 
                       CHAPTER 12--VIRGIN ISLANDS
 
                      SUBCHAPTER V--JUDICIAL BRANCH
 
Sec. 1612. Jurisdiction of District Court


(a) Jurisdiction

    The District Court of the Virgin Islands shall have the jurisdiction 
of a District Court of the United States, including, but not limited to, 
the diversity jurisdiction provided for in section 1332 of title 28 and 
that of a bankruptcy court of the United States. The District Court of 
the Virgin Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all criminal 
and civil proceedings in the Virgin Islands with respect to the income 
tax laws applicable to the Virgin Islands, regardless of the degree of 
the offense or of the amount involved, except the ancillary laws 
relating to the income tax enacted by the legislature of the Virgin 
Islands. Any act or failure to act with respect to the income tax laws 
applicable to the Virgin Islands which would constitute a criminal 
offense described in chapter 75 of subtitle F of title 26 shall 
constitute an offense against the government of the Virgin Islands and 
may be prosecuted in the name of the government of the Virgin Islands by 
the appropriate officers thereof in the District Court of the Virgin 
Islands without the request or the consent of the United States attorney 
for the Virgin Islands, notwithstanding the provisions of section 1617 
of this title.

(b) General jurisdiction; limitations

    In addition to the jurisdiction described in subsection (a) the 
District Court of the Virgin Islands shall have general original 
jurisdiction in all causes in the Virgin Islands the jurisdiction over 
which is not then vested by local law in the local courts of the Virgin 
Islands: Provided, That the jurisdiction of the District Court of the 
Virgin Islands under this subsection shall not extend to civil actions 
wherein the matter in controversy does not exceed the sum or value of 
$500, exclusive of interest and costs; to criminal cases wherein the 
maximum punishment which may be imposed does not exceed a fine of $100 
or imprisonment for six months, or both; and to violations of local 
police and executive regulations. The courts established by local law 
shall have jurisdiction over the civil actions, criminal cases, and 
violations set forth in the preceding proviso. In causes brought in the 
district court solely on the basis of this subsection, the district 
court shall be considered a court established by local law for the 
purposes of determining the availability of indictment by grand jury or 
trial by jury.

(c) Criminal offenses; concurrent jurisdiction with local courts

    The District Court of the Virgin Islands shall have concurrent 
jurisdiction with the courts of the Virgin Islands established by local 
law over those offenses against the criminal laws of the Virgin Islands, 
whether felonies or misdemeanors or both, which are of the same or 
similar character or part of, or based on, the same act or transaction 
or two or more acts or transactions connected together or constituting 
part of a common scheme or plan, if such act or transaction or acts or 
transactions also constitutes or constitute an offense or offenses 
against one or more of the statutes over which the District Court of the 
Virgin Islands has jurisdiction pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of 
this section.

(July 22, 1954, ch. 558, Sec. 22, 68 Stat. 506; Pub. L. 95-598, title 
III, Sec. 336(a), Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2680; Pub. L. 98-454, title 
VII, Sec. 703(a), title X, Sec. 1001, Oct. 5, 1984, 98 Stat. 1738, 1745; 
Pub. L. 99-514, Sec. 2, Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2095.)

                       References in Text

    This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original ``this Act'', 
meaning act July 22, 1954, ch. 558, 68 Stat. 497, as amended, known as 
the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, which is classified 
principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to 
the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1541 of this title 
and Tables.


                               Amendments

    1986--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99-514 substituted ``Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986'' for ``Internal Revenue Code of 1954'', which for purposes 
of codification was translated as ``title 26'' thus requiring no change 
in text.
    1984--Pub. L. 98-454 amended section generally, designating existing 
provisions as subsec. (a), substituted provisions that District Court 
would have all jurisdiction of a district court of the United States, 
including diversity jurisdiction and bankruptcy jurisdiction as well as 
civil and criminal matters regarding the income tax laws applicable to 
the Virgin Islands for former provisions conferring general jurisdiction 
on the court and providing for the transfer of cases, repealed section 
336 of Pub. L. 95-598, which had amended this section, and added 
subsecs. (b) and (c).
    1978--Pub. L. 95-598 inserted ``and a bankruptcy court'' after 
``jurisdiction of a district court''.


                    Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 98-454 effective on ninetieth day following 
Oct. 5, 1984, see section 1005 of Pub. L. 98-454, set out as a note 
under section 1424 of this title.


                    Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

    Section 402(e) of Pub. L. 95-598, which provided a prospective 
effective date for the amendment of this section by section 336(a) of 
Pub. L. 95-598, was repealed by section 1001 of Pub. L. 98-454.


            Jurisdiction of District Court Over Pending Cases

    Section 703(b) of Pub. L. 98-454 provided that: ``The provisions of 
this section [amending this section] shall not result in the loss of 
jurisdiction of the District Court of the Virgin Islands over any 
complaint or proceeding pending in it on the day preceding the effective 
date of this amendatory Act [see Effective Date of 1984 Amendment note 
set out under section 1424 of this title] and such complaint and 
proceeding may be pursued to final determination in the District Court 
of the Virgin Islands, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third 
Circuit, and the Supreme Court, notwithstanding the provisions of this 
amendatory Act [Pub. L. 98-454].''


                            Cross References

    Federal question, amount in controversy, see sections 1331 and 1332 
of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 1561, 1611, 1614 of this 
title.
