KINGSTON, Jamaica- Jamaica’s Court of Appeal is celebrating 60 years since its establishment on July 31, 1962.

It is observing the milestone at the same time the country is marking its Diamond Jubilee.

“As a Court of Appeal, we are pleased to be celebrating this significant milestone along with the rest of our country. The Court of Appeal has played a significant role in the protection of the rights of the Jamaican people; and also in the development of Caribbean jurisprudence. I am very happy to be President at this time and the judges here are fully committed to ensuring that over the next 60 years, the work of the court will achieve even greater heights,” said Justice Patrick Brooks, President, Court of Appeal.

A statement from the Court Administration Division (CAD) outlined that on the cusp of independence, on July 31, 1962, the Judicature (Appellate Jurisdiction) Act was passed, creating a new appellate court for Jamaica. The Act was gazetted on August 5, 1962 by the then Governor of Jamaica, Sir Kenneth Blackburne.

“This new court took over the work of the previous court of appeal which was formed in 1935 and which, prior to the new court coming into being, was constituted of any three judges of the Supreme Court, sitting together,” CAD noted.

It said an appellate court is important for independent jurisdictions as it provides guidance to the profession, litigants and the general public on what the law is and how it should be interpreted.

“This is particularly important for matters that speak to the way the constitution should be interpreted and the rights of citizens. Over the years the Court of Appeal has had to make decisions on, among other things, the constitutionality of corporal punishment; the constitutionality of the death penalty; and the restriction on judges, after retirement, from delivering outstanding judgments,” said the CAD.

The court has grown significantly since 1962 when the legislation allowed for only four judges – three, alongside the President. The legislation then, as it does now, also allows the Chief Justice to be invited to sit as a member of the court if there is a panel of five Judges sitting for a matter. The number of judges of the court increased to seven in 1967 and remained at that figure for 41 years until 2008 when that number was increased to its present capacity of 13 judges. However, due to space constraints, the court did not employ its full complement until 2019, when the building it now occupies was renovated and expanded through funding from the European Union.

Chief Justice Bryan Sykes in congratulating the court said: “This milestone is one which we should be justly proud of. The Court of Appeal has distinguished itself not only in Jamaica but across the Caribbean. Certainly, the Court of Appeal as it is now is the best in the region and with the court now at full complement, I am certain that the work of the court will increase overtime and within the next few years we will be able to say the Court of Appeal of Jamaica is among the best in the world”.

During the weeklong celebrations, July 31 to August 5, the court will host events including a church service at Sts Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church on July 31 at 9:00 am, a public exhibition which opens on Tuesday August 2 which will take persons on a walk down the annals of history to showcase significant milestones for the court over the past 60 years; a public lecture on Wednesday August 3 which will be given by the President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Adrian Saunders on the topic ‘The role of the CCJ in building a Caribbean jurisprudence’; and a special sitting of the court on Friday August 5 at 9:30am. All these events will be live streamed on the Judiciary’s You Tube channel – Jamaican Judiciary.

The theme for the celebration is the vision statement of the Court: ‘Serving all Stakeholders with Excellence’.