Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette Cummings-Edwards and acting Chief Justice Roxane George were both sworn-in yesterday and President David Granger signalled that he will finally move to appoint judges soon to address the shortage in the judiciary.
“There is a shortage and we are moving quickly with the Chancellor and the Chief Justice, who have been installed, to have the Court of Appeal constituted; to have the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) meet to make recommendations and fill the vacancies as soon as possible,” Granger told reporters following the swearing in ceremony at State House yesterday.
In January, the government invited applications by persons interested in serving as Chancellor and Chief Justice. It is unclear if the government acted on the responses it received. However, under Article 127(1) of the Constitution, the President needs to obtain the agreement of the opposition leader to appoint both office holders.