(Trinidad Guardian) Less than a week after taking the oath as a Judge of the High Court, Marcia Ayers-Caesar on Thursday resigned and Chief Justice Ivor Archie simultaneously announced she will be reinstated as Chief Magistrate.
In a press release announcing her decision, Ayers-Caesar admitted she never informed the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) “of the full state of my list and request further time to bring matters to completion before confirming my readiness to assume duties as a Judge of the Supreme Court.” She said upon “mature reflection” she realised it would have been “preferable” to advise the JLSC of her list.
The Judicial fiasco unravelled on Wednesday after six prisoners on murder charges caused an uproar at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court after being told their matter, which was being dealt with by Ayers-Caesar, could possibly be restarted due to the elevation of Ayers-Caesar to the bench.
Ayers-Caesar was supposed to have ruled on a submission by the men’s attorneys before leaving for the High Court posting in the seven-year-old case which was near completion.
Only last week, Court Protocol and Information Manager Alicia Carter-Fisher had said many of the matters before Ayers Caesar were paper committals and there was no issue with the appointment.
