Governor Albert Bryan during a press conference on Thursday announced Denise George-Counts as the territory’s latest attorney general to lead the Department of Justice. The news was reported by The Virgin Islands Consortium earlier today. The nominee must now face Senate approval before being installed, although she will serve in the A.G. capacity until then.
Mr. Bryan also introduced a bill that seeks to allow attorneys general to serve for six-year terms — giving them autonomy to work on the behalf of the people — and removing the governor’s power to replace an attorney general without cause.
“It gives me great pride to transmit to the Legislature legislation that establishes a six-year term for the attorney general, that only allows removal for cause. The attorney general will still be appointed and serve under the executive branch, but will be allowed the autonomy to ensure that we get a system that is aligned, balanced and consistent with the freedoms we are afforded,” Mr. Bryan said.
Currently, an attorney general serves at the pleasure of the governor and can be replaced at any time. This setup has oftentimes prevented attorneys general from effectively performing their duties, and it has been blamed by political observers as the cause for corruption in many governments.
Last updated on March 29, 2019
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