(a) The Chief Justice serves as the administrative head of the judicial branch of the Virgin Islands, and the Supreme Court as the administrative policy-making body of the entire Virgin Islands court system pursuant to 4 V.I.C. §§ 30, 31(d)(1)(3), and 32(e) and (f).
(b) Under the administrative policies established by the Supreme Court and the management authority of the Chief Justice, the Supreme Court shall establish the Judicial Branch Administrative Office headed by the Administrator of Courts appointed by the Chief Justice.
(c) The Administrator of Courts may perform the following functions, subject to the administrative authority of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice:
(1) considering and evaluating the business of Virgin Islands courts and means of improving the administration of justice within the Virgin Islands court system and adopting policy and rules for the operations of all local Virgin Islands courts, including, personnel, procurement, facilities and property, financial, security, and travel, as well as developing, implementing, coordinating, and monitoring strategic plans as well as administrative and other policies;
(2) assisting the Chief Justice in preparing and publishing an annual report of the judicial branch and the Virgin Islands court system regarding the works of the courts, the performance of the duties enumerated in this section, and of any recommendations relating to the courts, as well as preparing a single annual budget request for the judicial branch, including funding for operations of the Supreme Court, the Superior Court, and the Judicial Council, to the President of the Legislature, with a copy to the Governor, on or before May 30 of each year;
(3) recommending to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, as appropriate, changes to the organization, jurisdiction, operation, and procedures of the courts which are appropriate for legislative action, as well as any other changes that promote the effective and expeditious administration of the judicial branch and the Virgin Islands court system;
(4) establishing, coordinating, and monitoring compliance with general personnel policies for the judicial branch and all Virgin Islands court system personnel; however, justices, judges, and magistrate judges shall have full authority to control their personal chamber staff, subject to the general policies of the courts, as established by the Supreme Court. Law clerks and judicial secretaries constitute personal chamber staff;
(5) developing, implementing, coordinating, and enforcing all matters throughout the judicial branch relating to policies, standards, procedures, programs, and personnel with respect to the following areas:
(A) budgets, accounts, and auditing, including oversight of the expenditure of funds consistent with the judicial branch’s budget;
(B) procurement and disbursement;
(C) jury management;
(D) the safety of justices, judges, magistrate judges, court personnel, court facilities, and members of the public using court facilities, as well as the orderly conduct of judicial proceedings and continuity of judicial branch operations;
(E) case and records management;
(F) information technology;
(G) continuing professional education, as are desirable and feasible for justices, judges, magistrate judges, and court personnel from the National Center for State Courts, National Judicial College, or other such providers;
(H) statistical and management information systems, including the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data and the evaluation of court system programs and services;
(I) library management; and
(J) procuring legal services to enforce any rights granted to the Virgin Islands court system or to represent individual judges, justices, magistrate judges, supervisors, and other court personnel in legal matters arising from performance of their official duties, provided that the Administrator of Courts may not personally serve as the attorney for any judicial officer or interfere with the attorney-client relationship;
(6) approving bonds of fiduciary employees within the Virgin Islands court system;
(7) serving as a liaison between the Virgin Islands court system and the court systems of other state, federal, and territorial jurisdictions, including, the District Court of the Virgin Islands and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit;
(8) developing, implementing, coordinating and enforcing programs, policies, and procedures designed to educate and liaise with the general public, the news media, the Virgin Islands Bar Association, the Legislature, and executive branch agencies, including development and dissemination of educational materials to better inform the public regarding the laws and judicial procedures governing the Virgin Islands, accessing the courts, and the responsibilities of litigants, witnesses, and jurors;
(9) employing, retaining, or contracting for the services of qualified specialists or experts, as individuals or organizations, to advise and assist the judicial officers and employees of the Virgin Islands court system in the fulfillment of their duties;
(10) proposing the adoption of filing fees and other fees in the Virgin Islands court system;
(11) leasing, evicting, or suing on behalf of the Virgin Islands court system, relative to court properties, equipment, and facilities; and
(12) other policies and practices of the Virgin Islands court system, including such additional duties as may be assigned by the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice.