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Judges Conference highlights importance of functional judicial appointment committee
A regional judges’ conference held on November 2, in Belize has highlighted the importance of having functional judicial appointment committee.
Attendees at the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers’ (CAJO) 6th Biennial Conference
According to Dr. Terrence Farrell, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, called on Jurist from several Caribbean territories including Guyana to reverse the adequate functioning of such committees is necessary to reverse the low level of public confidence in the judiciary.
Farrell who was the keynote speaker of the conference called on the courts to implement several changes including ensuring that every “Judicial Appointments Commission has the means to impose intermediate sanctions, including de-rostering and suspending judges, to counsel poor performers out of the judiciary, and where needed, to refer judges to EAP-type counseling, all within the confines of the Judiciary itself without any involvement of the Executive or Legislature.”
Dr. Farrell delivered a thought-provoking presentation in which he explored the various reasons why public confidence in court systems throughout the region is low.
The JSC is responsible for overseeing and disciplining members of the Judiciary, but since 2017, when the life of the last JSC expired, a new commission has not been appointed.
The functions of the JSC are set out in Article 199 of the Constitution. The JSC has the power to make appointments, to remove and to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in the following offices: Commissioner of Title, Magistrate, Director of Public Prosecutions, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Registrar of the High Court, Deputy Registrar of the High Court, Registrar of Deeds and Deputy Registrar of Deeds and other such offices connected with the courts or those for which legal qualifications are required as may be prescribed by Parliament.
Also covered during the Conference were a number of other topical issues relevant to judicial officers in the region including pre-trial detention, the rights of indigenous people, environmental pollution, and the use of social media.
The Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers’ (CAJO) sixth Biennial Conference also reasserted that it is the duty of all courts to guarantee integrity and to secure the trust and confidence of the people of the Caribbean.
The second keynote address was delivered on the second morning of the Conference by Ms. Roberta Clarke. Ms. Clarke currently serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the International Commission of Jurists and the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition against Domestic Violence.
Her presentation examined how sex, gender, and socio-economic class shape the experiences of people interacting with the justice system.
Over 150 judicial officers including Chief Justices, Judges, Magistrates, Registrars, and Court Administrators from throughout the Caribbean met in Belize City, Belize from October 31- November 02, for the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers’ (CAJO) 6th Biennial Conference.
This year’s Conference was hosted by the Judiciary of Belize under the theme “Judicial Integrity – the Pathway to Public Trust and Confidence.”
It was launched with a well-attended opening ceremony featured remarks by the Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize, Mr. Justice Kenneth Benjamin, Chief Justice of Belize, and Mr. Justice Peter Jamadar, Chairman of CAJO and Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Prime Minister Barrow expressed his appreciation of courts in the region, stating “All sectors in our societies therefore, including the Executives themselves, ought to be grateful for the checks that Judicial Officers impose on either genuine Governmental mistake or deliberate overreach.”
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