THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

“Justice in not a cloistered virtue; she must be allowed to suffer scrutiny and respectful, even though outspoken, comments by ordinary men.” So said Lord Atkin, one of the last century’s greatest judges, in 1936. Since then, followed by other such statements by Lord Denning and others, criticisms of court decisions is normal, except that […]

IT TOOK LONGER THAN EXPECTED

It took longer than expected for the challenge to the jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to materialise. In expressing support for electoral reform in an interview on May 14, Leader of the PNCR and former President David Granger said that the Guyana Court of Appeal, and not the CCJ, should rule on […]

SEX AND POLITICS IN THE US

Sex and politics intersected in an explosive controversy that has gripped the United States as Professor Christine Blasey Ford gave evidence last Thursday to the United States Senate about a sexual assault perpetrated against her in the summer of 1982 by Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, on the US […]

THE APPOINTMENT OF CHANCELLOR AND CHIEF JUSTICE

Since the retirement of Chancellor (ag) Carl Singh and Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang, the issue of their replacement has been at the forefront of discourse, at least privately, in legal circles, but occasionally in the media. I myself have written about the issue once when I called on President Granger to appoint persons to […]

ON THE WARPATH AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION

Many may remember that the Judicial Service Commission (“JSC”) recommended the appointment of prominent lawyer Miles Fitzpatrick as an acting Judge in the early 1970s. Mr. Fitzpatrick then turned up at State House on the appointed day to be sworn in by the then President, His Excellency Arthur Chung. The President failed to appear, in […]