JUSTICE Bryan Sykes will today take up his appointment as acting chief justice.

Attorney General Marlene Malahoo Forte, at a special sitting of the Supreme Court to honour outgoing Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, yesterday announced that Prime Minister Andrew Holness had advised Governor General Sir Patrick Allen of Sykes’ appointment.

The announcement was greeted with loud cheers from members of the legal fraternity and court staff who were in attendance.

Meanwhile McCalla, who was the first woman appointed to lead the Jamaican judiciary, congratulated Justice Sykes, on his appointment.

“I wish for him a successful tenure in office. Congratulations, Justice Sykes and you have my full support,” she said.

Justice McCalla was earlier praised by members of the judiciary for her sterling contribution to the judiciary for more than 40 years. She was called to the Jamaican Bar in 1976 and in August of 1985 became a resident magistrate and was later appointed as senior resident magistrate.

In 1996, she became a master in chambers, and in 1997, she was appointed puisne judge and served until 2006, when she was promoted to a judge of the Court of Appeal before her appointment as chief justice in June 2017.