Judiciary remains committed to advancing justice — Court Management Services
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Members of Jamaica’s judiciary are giving the assurance that they remain committed to the upholding of justice following a disruption of proceedings in many courts across the island earlier Monday.
Court services were affected for most of Monday, after judges met in session at the Supreme Court in Kingston to deal with “a number of issues”, according to a news release from the Court Management Services (CMS).
“Judges across the island did convene a meeting at the Supreme Court this morning in which a number of issues including the appointment of Justice Bryan Sykes to act in the role of Chief Justice were discussed,” the news release stated.
“Not all court matters were affected; some matters were heard in the Home Circuit Court and the Gun Court. Most matters scheduled for the afternoon session, at the Supreme Court proceeded as scheduled. Cases that were scheduled to be heard in the Parish Courts today were adjourned for the day, and all court matters will resume tomorrow, Tuesday February 13, 2018,” the news release went on.
According to the CMS, the judiciary apologised to the members of the legal fraternity, witnesses, jurors, members of the public and other stakeholders for the inconvenience caused and the loss of time in a sector that is already burdened by huge case backlogs.
The CMS said that it would undertake “a number of measures in an effort to address the time lost.”
Among the measures stated is for extended sittings of the courts — something that court officials said could be agreed with the respective parties involved to handle matters that were not dealt with on Monday.
The news release urged people with court matters to contact the Court Management Services at 665-3701,
1888-429-5268 or email
customerservices@cms.gov.jm for further information on their matters.
Judges have been uneasy since the decision by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to recommend to Governor General Sir Patrick Allen that Justice Bryan Sykes act as Chief Justice at the end of January, instead of the traditional manner of appointing him when a clear vacancy existed.
