KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, has announced a new measure to ease the backlog of cases within the courts. 

Five-year-old cases, which have not been tried, will be placed on a special list and set for mention on Wednesdays between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. 

Two judges have been given special responsibilities for those matters.

She was addressing the ceremonial opening of the Hilary Session of the Home Circuit Court today (January 7) at the Supreme Court, downtown Kingston.

She reminded attorneys that with the passage of the Amended Evidence Act, evidence can now be easily admitted once there is no dispute, and this should ease the burden on the courts and reduce trial time.

Justice McCalla also hailed the passage of the Amended Jury Act, which widens the pool from which jurors will be selected and thanked those who served last term.

She further encouraged all Jamaicans to continue to exercise their civic duty.

The chief justice, in her address, also implored members of the justice sector to “make the justice system better not just for us who are here now, but for generations to come.”

She said that all stakeholders, including  judges, attorneys and the police, have a role to play in the transformation of the sector, and they must ensure that valuable court time is not wasted unnecessarily.

In his remarks, Deputy Registrar at the Supreme Court, Dwayne Dixon, urged members of the justice system to do their part in ensuring the effective administration of justice.

This, he said, is despite the challenges that they may encounter in their day-to-day operations. He also used the opportunity to thank them for their service.

There are 522 cases listed for trial during the Hilary Term, which ends on March 18.