Organic Act of the Virgin Islands

The Organic Act of the Virgin Islands is United States legislation that established the framework for the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The original act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1936 and has been amended since. A revised act in 1954 created a central government with distinct executive, legislative, and judicial branches, granting a significant degree of self-governance. This legislation also paved the way for the popular election of the islands' governor, which began in 1970. The U.S. Virgin Islands remain an organized unincorporated territory of the United States, with its residents being U.S. citizens.123