Five puisne judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court to fulfil the demands and gaps that exist within the Judiciary.
The five judges took their Oath of Office at the President’s House on Tuesday afternoon.
Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh said the appointment of Justices Maria Busby Earle-Caddle, Trevor Jones, Sydelle Johnson, Raymond Roberts, and Josefina Baptiste Mohammed comes at an important time in our country’s history.
He urged the new appointees to the High Court bench to maintain trust and confidence in the Judiciary as they meet the demands of the citizenry.
“Members of the public are interested in ensuring that they receive their judgements in a timely manner, that they obtain a fair hearing, and that when they bring disputes to the court, these are resolved in a fair, just, and efficient way.”
The expansion of the bench is expected to minimise the length of time it takes for trials to come before judicial officers.
Having sat as Master of the High Court in the Criminal and Traffic Division, Justice Trevor Jones highlighted some of the steps that are currently being taken to address the backlog within the judicial system.
“So one of the benefits I would say when I sat as Master is focusing more on case management. So in the past, trials took too long, and now that we have the Criminal Procedure Rules, we try our best to use that to minimise the time it takes to conduct trials. Also, with the introduction of judge-alone trials, that has assisted in the reduction of time it takes. So those two methods, proper case management, use of judge-alone trials when and where it’s appropriate, I think assist in managing the length of time a trial takes, and the length of time it takes to have trials.”
As he welcomed the increased workload, while hoping to strike a balance with personal life, Justice Jones reflected on the mentorship he received in the Judiciary, poised to assume his new position.