Supreme Court Judge in Anguilla, Justice Janice George-Creque, has made the point that a Judiciary can only be truly independent when there are the necessary financial and human resources to ensure its independence and efficiency.

Justice Janice George-Creque

The Madam Judge was at the time speaking at the opening of Law Year on September 20. She said that as the Judicial Department suffered from a lack of adequate staffing one was led to wonder at times whether or not, in terms of positions that are necessary for its efficient functioning, the consultative process was effective as it ought to be.

She was heartened to see that at the beginning of this Law Year there was one other Court Reporter – Heather Rodney - working with Carla Ritchie. She welcomed this but hoped that more persons would be employed as there was a need for a cadre of Court Reporters.

The Judge stressed that in Anguilla, where the jurisdiction was particularly developing as a commercial one, there was a need for the focus to be placed on ensuring that there were adequate resources in order to avoid the creation of backlog cases. “Currently we are suffering from a stagnant backlog where transcripts are not being able to be produced – not because the will is not there – but simply because we do not have sufficient persons to produce the transcripts required for the work of the Court and the Appellant Court as well,” she reported.

Heather Rodney and Carla Ritchie

Noting the pressure and the nature of the function of the job, the Judge said someone in Miss Ritchie’s case should only be required to work constantly for about four hours. In contrast, however, she stated that Miss Ritchie found herself doing more than eight hours into the evening “and yet fielding queries and many requests of urgencies being basically screamed at her.”

Justice George-Creque added: “I think the situation is one where I call it ‘a crisis point’.

I trust that if it cannot be addressed from recruitment within Anguilla that perhaps the need is seen as such that it would be addressed and recruitment can be made from wherever may be able to lend assistance. At the end of the day it is the entire community and country which benefits in the long run.”

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News