Wilma A Lewis at a glance
- Current role
- U.S. District Judge
- Jurisdiction
- U.S. Virgin Islands · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Wilma A Lewis
U.S. District Judge · District Court of the Virgin Islands
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- District Court of the Virgin Islands · U.S. District Judge · Active · January 1, 2011–present · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Source authority
- CourtListener / Free Law Project
Biography
Professional career
- Wilma Antoinette Lewis is a Senior Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Virgin Islands, currently on recall for continued service through February 16, 2026
- Judge, District Court, Virgin Islands, 2011-present
- Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management (2009–2011): Led initiatives for the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
- Private Sector: Partner at Crowell & Moring (2001–2007), Managing Associate General Counsel at Freddie Mac (2007–2008)
- U.S. Department of the Interior (1993–1995): Associate Solicitor, General Law Division
- U.S. Attorney’s Office (1986–1993): Assistant U.S. Attorney for D.C., rising to Deputy Chief of the Civil Division
- Private Practice (1981–1986): Associate at Steptoe & Johnson in Washington, D.C
- United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia
- In summary: Wilma A. Lewis is a trailblazing federal judge and public servant, with a career spanning law practice, high-level federal leadership, and nearly three decades on the U.S. Virgin Islands federal bench
- The first woman to serve as both a federal district judge and chief judge in the Virgin Islands
Education
- Harvard Law School — J.D. (1981)
- Swarthmore College — B.A. (1978)
Additional information
- Senior Status effective February 15, 2025, but recalled for one more year
- Chief Judge (2013–2021)
- Joined the court in 2011 after a nomination from President Barack Obama (D)
- Appointed to the District Court of the Virgin Islands by President Barack Obama on March 2, 2011; confirmed June 30, 2011
- U.S. Attorney for D.C. (1998–2001): First woman in this position
- Inspector General, DOI (1995–1998): First Black woman to hold this role
- All Saints Cathedral School, valedictorian, 1974
- Born June 28, 1956, in Santurce, Puerto Rico
- Associate and partner, Private sector legal practice
- Chief Judge Robert A. Molloy praised her “extraordinary dedication and service” and noted her significant contributions to the Virgin Islands judiciary and community
- Inspector General, U.S. Department of the Interior
- Adjunct faculty, George Washington University National Law Center
- Chair, District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics
- Lewis was raised in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, the daughter of Walter Lewis (U.S. Postal Service) and Juta Lewis (U.S. Customs Service)
- Lewis has also been active on boards, including Swarthmore’s Board of Managers and the Moravian Theological Seminary’s Board of Trustees
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
District Court of the Virgin Islands — electronic devices
District Court of the Virgin Islands
Federal District Court facilities only; March 13, 2015 dated order and all its exceptions apply. Not territorial Supreme/Superior Courts; later orders not exhaustively certified. Shared baseline only, not a judge-specific preference or complete local rules inventory. Apply source exceptions, case-type limits, later amendments and case orders.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
U.S. District Court for the District of Virgin Islands current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · CourtListener / Free Law Project · effective January 1, 2011 · Source checked August 2, 2026
View U.S. District Court for the District of Virgin Islands current judicial profile ↗