--- title: "Wilma A Lewis | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/wilma-a-lewis-10023" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Wilma A Lewis District Court of the Virgin Islands · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: District Court of the Virgin Islands - State: U.S. Virgin Islands - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## 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 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/10023/wilma-a-lewis/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/10023/wilma-a-lewis/) - [U.S. District Court for the District of Virgin Islands current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/10023/wilma-a-lewis/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/10023/wilma-a-lewis/) - [Notice - The Honorable Wilma A. Lewis Takes Senior Status and is Recalled for an Additional Year | District Court of the Virgin Islands |](https://www.vid.uscourts.gov/news/notice-honorable-wilma-lewis-takes-senior-status-and-recalled-additional-year) - [Wilma A. Lewis - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wilma_A._Lewis) - [U.S. Department of the Interior confirmation statement: Wilma A. Lewis](https://www.doi.gov/ocl/hearings/111/ConfirmationStatementLewis_070909) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/wilma-a-lewis-10023", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/wilma-a-lewis-10023", "name": "Wilma A Lewis | KnowJudges", "description": "Wilma A Lewis, District Court of the Virgin Islands. 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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](https://www.vid.uscourts.gov/sites/vid/files/general-ordes/VID_Electronic_Devices_Policy_Order_031315.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.