Last Updated on October 14, 2020, 7:11 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The legal fraternity of Barbados is expecting that High Court decisions which have been outstanding for several years would now be expedited when Queen’s Counsel Patterson Cheltenham would take over as the Chief Justice next month.
Rosalind Smith Millar, President of the Barbados Bar Association, said while expressing delight at Cheltenham’s appointment that her organisation is looking forward to meeting with the Chief Justice who is to start his work officially on November 1.
She declined to share what initiatives she wants to discuss with the Chief Justice-designate, but she hinted that the continued delay in delivering judgments is one of the primary concerns which she hopes he can resolve soon.
She said while promising that the association would tackle that concern again that she thinks it would be a bit premature to get into initiatives, out of respect what his agenda may be and for him.
She said that she would like to meet with him first but, the Bar has concerns regarding the outstanding decisions of the court, some of them pending since many years, which is something they took up with the former Chief Justice but could not get resolved.
Smith Millar also told how the legal fraternity felt about Cheltenham as the Chief Justice that they also have to look at what resources he would have at his disposal to deal with the issues within the court system.
The head of the bar association is also of the view that the new Chief Justice, who has spent more than 40 years practising in the law courts, would bring the necessary energy and perspective to the office.
Cheltenham said while speaking about his appointment that he looks forward to bringing his usual professional energy to the task at hand.
He is succeeding Sir Marston Gibson, who expressed his intention to retire from the post he held for nine years in July this year. He started pre-retirement leave on September 1.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
