Department of Justice Views on the Proposed Constitution Drafted by the Fifth Constitutional Convention of the United States Virgin Islands

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE VIEWS ON THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION DRAFTED BY THE FIFTH CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF THE UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS The following memorandum was initially drafted in the Office of Legal Counsel at the request of the Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs. It analyzes several features of the proposed constitution of the U.S. Virgin Islands ("USVI"), including: (1) the absence of an express recognition of United States sovereignty and the supremacy of federal law; (2) provisions for a special election on the USVI’s territorial status; (3) provisions…