Public to pay for JR of Civil Partnership Law
(CNS): Kattina Anglin, a member of the conservative group, the Christian Association for Civics (CAC), has secured public cash for a proposed challenge to the governor’s use of his reserved powers to legalise same-sex unions. According to a social media post, Anglin has been granted legal aid for a proposed judicial review because of what was described as “the complexity/ technical nature of the matter and importance” of the action.
The CAC said the request for the court to review Governor Martyn Roper’s decision to use section 81 of the Constitution to assent to the law after it failed to pass in the Legislative Assembly is based on “overreach” by Roper rather than objection to same-sex partnerships.
However, Anglin, who recently acquired a law degree and is the public relations office for the Christian Association for Civics, has been unequivocal in her objection to giving gay couples the legal rights provided for in the Constitution on the grounds of biblical belief.
According to the CAC’s statement, James Kennedy, a partner in the law firm KSG Attorneys at Law, told the legal aid office when trying to secure the public cash for this fight that the action had merit because of “the overreach and interference of the Governor in the legislative processes of the Cayman Islands rather than the issue of gay rights per se”. He added that the issue had “significant public interest considerations and potential ramifications”.
Kennedy argued that it is “unlawful to use section 81 to remedy incompatibility as the Constitution specifically reserves that power for the Legislature”, and claimed that it is for the LA to remedy the breach of the Constitution, not the governor.
The goal is to use the case of Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden-Bush, which is now before the Privy Council, as another reason why the governor should not have acted as he did while the action is still pending. Kennedy suggested that it “is conceivable that the Privy Council may reverse the Court of Appeal’s declaration of incompatibility”.
Anglin summed up her reasons for why she claimed she was seeking a judicial review: “My Constitution was being butchered, the majority of my people’s concerns were rejected and my legislators were being disrespected,” she stated in the social media posting.
“The majority of people are unaware of the dangerous precedent that is being set with the governor taking action in this way, although the government and its leadership makes no mention of it. I had no choice but to intervene in what I saw as a blatant violation of the Rule of Law.”
Anglin said she had a right to a judicial review. Nevertheless, but her legal aid award was limited and she is being asked to make a mandatory contribution of $4,000, for which donations are being solicited.
While the legal aid office may have accepted that there are issues to be argued, this will not be an easy challenge. The court has made it clear, twice, that the government and the Legislative Assembly were in violation of the rule of law by not providing some form of same-sex marriage equivalency a point accepted by the government.
In addition, Cayman remains in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights, which was extended to the Cayman Islands at the government’s request in 2005, which means the UK must ensure that its international obligations are met. And regardless of the level of control Cayman has over its domestic legislation, it has virtually none when it comes to the UK’s international legal obligations.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Kattrina Anglin is a recently qualified attorney. This has been corrected to say that she recently acquired a law degree.
I am not aware that any attempt was made by the governor to negotiate his way to a majority yes vote before deciding to use section 81 of the constitution. If that is the case then it would seem to highlight a deficit in the type of diplomatic and leadership skills that could have helped to resolve this issue in an amicable way. I can only imagine that the governor did try to negotiate his way to a majority yes vote but was unable to convince anyone to change their minds.
The funniest part of this whole saga will be when this lady loses in court and her and the rest of the fundamentalists drop the “this is about rule of law and democracy” pretense and start supporting more fundamentalists and extremists in the LA like Eden
These people will not stop, they want the church to be involved in every facet of life on these islands, if they could suspend the courts and elections, dissolve the LA and remove the Governor they would, and they would establish a state equivalent to Saudi Arabia or Iran just replace Islam with Christianity, the Quran with the Bible and Allah with Jesus/God
Luckily enough as this case will prove having a law degree does not a good lawyer make, this case is clearly not some principled objection to the Governor’s quite clearly laid out responsibilities to maintain good governance and the rule of law and powers and protections included in various sections of the Constitution.
I would honestly be surprised if this case is not dismissed outright at the first hearing before any competent judge going solely off the contents of Section 31 subsections 2 & 4 along
and that all goes without saying even in the highly unlikely event that this case leads anywhere the UK will simply draft an order in council which is beyond the purview of any local courts or legislators as they did in the 90s with capital punishment and as they did in the early 2000s with decriminalizing homosexuality.
I agree with Miller 100%, it is an exercise in futility; furthermore, I am angry that Legal Aid actually approved this waste of public money. I prefer to feed primary-school children or sponsor an at-risk high schooler. We all should e mail Legal Aid and demand that they explain this madness.
Easy for them to squander other people’s money – that of the Cayman Islands tax payers – being both local residents/businesses and the international financial services industry client base.
It infuriates me when people constantly refer to it being “Government’s money”. It’s not theirs.
It’s ours. And we need to do a better job (a job?) of watching over it.
Alden and Moses spent over $9M without even asking the people..I’m not opposed to someone else getting a fraction of that..
The ladies fighting for our beach accesses were not given a thin dime and no one can say that is not for something that benefits us all.
Cayman is slowly becoming another United States and we don’t even realize that fighting amongst ourselves is what those in power want and thrive on to keep us in check.
Money is consistently wasted in this country by this government and we do nothing more than turn the page and move on.
She is going up against Goliath and there is a real good chance that she will fail but she deserves the opportunity to fight her cause just as everyone else does.
Not with my money she doesn’t.
You all are sick it’s wrong that why ‘tis world is coming to a XXXXing end because of people like u guys I don’t want my daughter or son thinking that it’s ok to marry there same sex. I stand strongly against it
CNS: Your son or daughter will not want to marry someone of their own sex unless they are gay. If they aren’t then this law will make absolutely no difference to your family. The legal right for same-sex marriage will not turn anyone gay. If any of your children are gay, then it’s your attitude that will cause you and them misery, which has nothing to do with this law.
Thank you CNS.
Mannn this woman can’t be serious right now, is she really going to WASTE HER OWN FELLOW CAYMANIANS MONEY on A CASE that is “HUMAN RIGHTS TO HAVE”… Why is this even a news headline really and truly?
XXXXX
You can’t call yourself a “CHRISTIAN” and act the way you do towards the LGBTQ Community who want the same thing as you do a better comfortable life with their partner… Who are you ma’am?
How you create CAC and say you had to intervene based on The Governors action ma’am they left him no other choice the mere fact that the LA was in breach of the law shows how much you know, but yet just obtained a law degree rightttt…
Please just drop it because you’re wasting your time and fight for the children that got to wake up and go school on a hungry belly or family can’t afford to buy decent school supplies or better yet let’s hear you fight for better cost of living, better wages, better health care, Cayman Kind, better housing across the Islands for who can’t afford, better Charities fighting for a good cause.. Why wasn’t one of these topics one “you had to intervene”?
Well said. thank you.
Actually these childish arguments of feed the hungry but don’t express your moral values create an impression that these are binary decisions. You can do both. Standing against social injustice, standing against unconstitutional action, standing against tyranny and standing against Genetically modified mosquitos are all doable by the same person.
I am no Kattina fan, but I can honestly say she has stood for all these things and her personal journey is one that is deeply admirable.
Wisdom is not only found in Oxford or Cambridge. Judges aren’t always right. And we have enough written and unwritten history to tell us that when the UK insists on rushing something through it usually isn’t for the right reasons.
Let her make her stand. The question of the use of Sec 81 should be examined by the court of law. It’s not about the decision itself but the process.
The end does not justify the means. If you teach your kids that then you are raising morally bankrupt children.
I don’t have an issue with this Law, tbh I couldn’t care less just pls don’t bring it to me. Whatever you want to do is your business. I’d really like to see gambling freed up as well as marijuana for personal use; just saying.
100% agreed with you on this…. lets keep moving into the 21st century please
Tisk tisk tisk all this controversy over a god no one can prove exist.
I guess evidence means nothing these days even in the eyes of said “lawyers”
What a waste of public funds in a time when Caymanians are struggling to make ends meet, feed our families, keep our homes, and the list goes on!! It’s very disheartening tbh!!!
I hope that the Churches won’t dip into the sacrificial offering by their members to support this unchristian stance. I don’t associate my Christian values with wasteful initiatives and unsympathetic positions.
That’s because youre the same commenter spewing the same comments.
7:38 pm: “the same commenter”—whatever you are talking about? That was my first and last comment, other than this.
I have little time to waste talking about a futile Public fight using public money.
In these pre-election months we will have more and more hopefuls coming on the scene.
Katina Didn’t you learn human rights in law school.
KaTTina* First, address the correct person.
What law school did she graduate from?
Take a wild stab in the dark!
Life is short. In 5-10 years many who fight this would be dead due to old age or cancer.
Compass warned about colon cancer today. But again, the focus is not on WHAT causes cancer, especially here in Cayman, which is THE DUMP, but on screening. Yeah, the colonoscopy is good, but it is not 100% safe as they would tell you, do your own research. There are stool tests that are very accurate (Second Generation FIT® home test or Fecal occult blood tests covered by insurance-ask your doctor).
So instead of spending your best years on fighting, re-focus on your own health and environment you live in. Because without healthy environment you won’t live long.
And once one is dying, LGBT marriages would be the last thing on his/her mind.
P.S. Of course, listen to your doctor when it comes to cancer screenings, just know there are safer alternatives. Also, I don’t sell Second Generation FIT® tests,LOL, but I do buy it every year online.
The only thing of value in this world is HEALTH. Once it’s gone, absolutely nothing matters.
Human qi or life energy comes from two main sources. The first source of qi is inherited from our parents at conception. It is known as the “innate vital substance”. The second source is derived from essential substances in nature such as the air we breathe, food and water.
Choose wisely what you spend your innate vital substance. It is not replenishable.
I wish they would stand with the same energy for people who live, work and study by the Dump, being poisoned 24×7.
I bet no assistance was offered to sue the government over the Dump fires. So poor innocent people continue living in fire byproducts contaminated condos, houses, their children continue attending IS, because “they” said “it is safe”.🤬
Premier had said that the last fire was pure hell. Yet, he didn’t visit affected residents to at least observe the damage to their properties and offer a kind word…..everything goes as usual….as if nothing happened….until next pure hell fire. Save you face masks.
Pure political theater.
The actors are either recidivists trying to keep the feeding frenzy going or rookies desperate to get to the trough.
For most of them the MLA salary and benefits package is the ticket to heaven on earth.
Better angels they are not.
This court case really shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Case dismissed!
I wonder if 4k will actually cover the fees and if not who is going to pay the balance.
The $4K is just what CAC contributes. The taxpayer gets to pay the rest. And it will be a FORTUNE. Some constitutional law QC in from London at over $1000 an hour plus the legal team. First instance, appeal and Privy Council.
But this should not go that far. From what I see in a press release this in a waste of time. Law can not be challenged since it was instructed by UK to be put in place. That part I am not quite getting. Who would even bother.
Says the constitutional law expert! The same court that gave the couple legal aid to pursue their case against the government thinks there is sufficient in the arguments being made other the Governors exercise of reserved powers to not only hear the matter, but provide legal aid. This one is going all the way to the Privy Council. And its going to cost the tax payer a fortune.
my cousin is a native caymanian.as i am…he fled cayman islands due to unacceptance of his sexual orientation….he is now married to his husband in south america and happy as pig in mud!! me, i am straight and love women…but lately becoming more and more disgusted with ……and now i await the negativity once my post is read….
Woman sit down!!!! There are more pressing problems in this country than a matter that only affects a small percentage of people who so deserved their rights.
Stand Up against hunger, child abuse, high cost of living, crime, physical abuse, sexual abuse, poor public education system, health care cost that continues to go out the roof, lack of a proper public transport system, latent discrimination against Caymanians, and others in this country, and so on and on.
STAND UP AGAINST THESE ISSUES or sit down and mind your own business so that the LGBT people in your own family and the rest of the country can now live their lives a lot better now with the law behind them.
Let the churches pay – NOT the rest of us through our taxes.
Ask the pastors to park their Mercedes for a few months and give their tithe offering for this folly, if they really want to try and hold back the tide, King Canute like.
…crickets…..
…. from the ministers of religion and the so-called, self awarded “Doctors” by some half baked US “university”? Though so – won’t give up their ca$h, will they?
The fact these people describe themselves as “Christians” is the most offensive thing…
Any lawyer would understand that the Court did not make the law, they interpreted a law that was passed by the legislature, a law called the Constitution… then the Court directed the breaching party to comply. That is how a democratic government is supposed to work.
Trouble is, no court in the democratic world can order a government as to how it should legislate.
If it blatantly infringes on human rights they can, 3:40pm
Where does it say that?
Man, imagine if this energy was directed towards fighting for improving worker protections, increasing the minimum wage, universal basic health care and extending basic education to include two years of tertiary education, among other things.
So much time and energy has been expended trying to deny others of being treated equally, it is so depressing. There are actual problems in our country and two consenting adults being married isn’t one of them.
Aren’t we supposed to be a secular society? Pushing religious narratives into our politics should be a constitutional breach. The UK should say something about this. By the way, doesn’t the Bible literally say to separate church and state….
No that’s the US Constitution that speaks to seperation of church and state.
Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s and to God what is Gods.
The law’s the law. I support same-sex marriage, partnerships etc, but I also support the right of anyone to challenge measures introducing them if there’s a strong possibility, as there is here, that those measures are ultra vires and therefore unlawful. If that’s the case, they should not be allowed to remain on the books; and the UK and its representatives here should forced to do it right, ie by Order in Council and not the illegal exercise by the governor of his reserve powers.
Let the judges decide the issue, and don’t blame someone for bringing it before them to do so. Otherwise you’re supporting illegal lawmaking.
However… if an Order in Council is inevitable if the JR is successful in overturning the action, then have the UK do it now – and not after taxpayers foot the bill to litigate a now-win situation.
The question is: why didn’t the UK do it by Order in the first place?
There’s more to this than meets the eye. Or maybe it’s just your usual UK incompetence, driven by third-rate civil servants.
I do not pay fees and duties for legal aid to squander my money in such pointless exercises. 😡😡 I protest!! What a XXXg circus! Didn’t we all read the Baroness’ letter? The UK instructed the Governor to pass the bill in light of legislators’ FAILURE to provide a legal framework for the LGBT. Is that not clear enough? It’s over, man! Get over it already.
Good for her! If public money can go to defend undeserving criminals then I’m ok with this assistance to her.
Leaving aside your opinion on the gay marriage issue it makes sense that a JR challenge to an Order in Council putting in place any rule that the local legislature could not agree to would be generally open to legal aid support.
(That the case should likely not make it past the first round of the JR is for the judge to decide and not the person reviewing the legal aid application.)
I don’t know what the criteria are for awarding legal aid but – as offensive as I find the anti-gay crusade and as supportive as I am of full equality for the LGBTQ community – it does sound as though this type of action would warrant the granting of support.
Can someone who knows about these things please confirm that the new law will not be stayed in the meantime and those who have been waiting to formalise their unions will be able to do so? CNS say no delay to the legislation in a comment below. I sincerely hope that’s right.
Is this a joke? Seriously, enough with the propagation of hate.
This person got a degree. Whoop dee doo.
Does that entitle her to use public money to get her face in the media?
Go home, sit down and shut up!!
The Christian Association for Civics….wow now that is a oxymoron.
That’s what you get when morons are exposed to oxygen.
Stop referring to her as an attorney. She has a law degree and it will be several years before she becomes an attorney. The group has a legal representative named James Kennedy. Cayman continues to embrace her despite her history but they are protesting against others to have basic rights. This is beyond the pale.
Thank you for Clarifying that because CNS keeps saying she is an attorney.I was saying the same The Hate is very real if only Kattina knew how many people she have offended I applaud her for finishing her law Studies but she still has a long way to go to make a name for herself. Fight a fight you can when serenity prayer.
CNS: I have made the correction. Apologies to all attorneys.
Be interesting to see if a Cayman firm is going to give her a chance to do her articles. They tend not to be wildly enthusiastic about want to be lawyers who have a taste for being litigants (or defendants!)
Also, her own LinkedIn page lists her name as Katina with one T.
Starving church members, abused members, molested children by church members, or ones who need money for unforeseen medical emergencies would be a much better use of your time lady.
Or we could remove legal assistance to criminals?
The right to an attorney is a human right.
I’m sure you can find someone who says the right to medical assistance is a human right too. But you have to pay for it.
What part of cinco don’t you understand?
Obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) does not make you a “recently qualified attorney”. But I guess it does enable you to waste public funds on a matter such as this…
Somebody’s looking to run for election folks…
I thought the same thing. Wrong ticket to do it on, in my opinion.
I object to the exorbitant fees I pay for goods and services being handed to this lot of chancers and bigots.
Will this delay the coming into effect of the bill? I sure hope not!
CNS: No.
Asking for a judicial review by the same courts that have ruled on this already? Really?
And public money being used to line the pockets of lawyers who should know full well they have no case but will take the money irregardless?
You can’t make this crap up!!!
CNS, can anyone explain what that means actually in regards to the law and if me and my partner can get into the civil union in a few weeks? How does this jr affect the things? Thank you.
CNS: There is currently no stay on the law, so you and your partner can register at the end of this month – they have given the civil service three weeks to prepare. If there is any change to this we will certainly do a story on it.
Thank you so much.
They will undoubtedly ask the court to stay the law’s coming into force pending the outcome of the judicial review. The Court will have to consider the prospects of the challenge succeeding and the respective harm caused if a stay is or isn’t granted.
Just as soon as the Governor approves the Civil Registrars and civil partnership officers who can formalise these unions. Should be set for the end of September if civil servants dont find a way to introduce delays. There is nothing complicated about it now that the law is in effect.
Three strikes your out . you wont win so why waste other peoples money ? maybe you want to make a name for yourself idk . But the fact is you should be ashamed of yourself .Tell me What will you do if your child is born gay ? throw it out ? christians your all going to get lots of bad press because of this lunacy and self promoting idiocy . Do Not Donate , use your hard earned money for food and clothing .
And to think that worth while causes and people who really need legal assistance cannot seem to get it or it takes months to be approved…in walk the bible-thumpers going down a rabbit hole and the money is practically thrown at them. WTF?
Such disrespect for Christian people from godless nutjobs is sickening!
Lol, I love when rational thinking is classed as being a nut job.
Speaking of disrespect….
Godless? I believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster! He is the deity of my Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I’m a Pastafarian. Google it, it’s as legit as your “god”.
Thank you Kattina. The people in agreement with homosexual rights have a platform and much louder voice on CNS; trust and believe there are many who are in agreement that this should be reviewed. Thank you for putting your face to the fight.
@Anon you are small minded just like Kattina.She does not speak for the majority.True Cayman kind would accept and allow people to live. People are giving her another chance to prove her self in society.If only she was passionate to help recovery addicts and mother who need help and people who are homeless,kids whom are going to bed hungry I for one from West Bay and would never give her my vote. BIG Mac got my wote (Caymanian Accent) 2020
Thanks for the compliment. There are things one would be wise not to open their minds to.
I will say it again so you can read it again: Thank you Kattina for putting your name and face to this cause. Let’s see what the courts say about the Governor using his reserve powers this way.
Kattina, your story is inspiring and you will make a fine attorney one day. Many will bring your past up but you continue to work hard and look forward. God bless you. I support you 100% and there are many others who support what you are doing.
Compliment lol I going check back on this comment in a few weeks and see how far it get. When and if it passes the first stage.#Good over Evil#Love Wins
People in agreement with human rights don’t have a louder voice on JUST CNS, but the world. You seek to oppress groups of human beings based upon your personal prejudice. That’s all it is; at least own your own views. Our Constitution provides for equal rights for all, and it isn’t conditional. I would be ashamed to tell my children that I helped to deny Caymanians their equal rights. What will you tell your children?
Why are hate-based gay-opposing non-profits allowed to exist, let alone apply for legal aid? If they or directors are so insolvent they cannot pay the initial application fee, shouldn’t the apparatus be administratively dissolved by registrar for being improperly constituted? How are they going to pay costs and penalties if/when they loose? They can’t even post security for costs if they wanted to.
People please let this go. As Ezzard said time tackle the real problems facing these islands, you all taking a little too much interest in how two consenting adults choose to live their lives. Get over it. Juliana’s call from Heaven proved to be in vain, I guess even God is sick of the foolish behavior of his so call wanna be “born again” ” holier than thou” saints.
Kattina. Please explain what is supposed to happen when the legislature fails or refuses to address an issue of incompatibility? Does the illegality continue forever?
…crickets.
Absolute lunacy; this woman’s rants on social media and so called “protests” are nothing but bigoted foolishness and now she is launching JR and we have to pay for it?
Why can’t the Churches and Ministers Association or her bigoted friends cough up the cash to waste on this proposed action?
At the end of this I hope we can know how much of our tax money will have been wasted supporting both sides of this JD.
In other countries many persons are protesting & struggling for equality and here we have a minority fighting against equality.
Shameful, time to take your outdated views and go away. Such hatred for people because their sexuality doesn’t fit with your views. Shame on these so called “christians”
#CIW Waste of money XXXX to waste our hard money it’s so easy to ask for Government assistance to fight a fight you won’t win.
Homosexuality is not a human right! Stop with the fake news already
Actually – homosexuality is a human right. You are born the way you are born. And what a wonderful thing that is.
No one is born a “Christian”.
Christian is fake news!
Christianity was created to control human behavior. It created a system of rewards and punishment to brainwash persons to behave a certain way and sometimes even going against natural instants.
And was bastardised in North America when it became a hypocritical money making business . The same flavour of Christianity we have here.
It was bastardized in Europe long before North America. Set almost the entire continent back 1,000 years.
Agreed! 💯
Everyone has limited time, energy, focus and resources. Devoting these to this JR is a giant waste.
1000% behind you CAC stop this foolishness going on in our islands.It’s time for this so called Cayman judiciary and many others to go. Caymanians as a majority have the right to exercise our religious rights and beliefs and freedoms as we see fit.Our fore fathers gay and straight did not want this here why should we force to accept this.
Our forefathers wanted negroes to be slaves and women not to vote, too.
Those were better days.
Not just our forefathers!
Our fivefathers too!
To 2:39pm: LMAO!! 😂😂😂
Your adopted religion is based upon the writings of a group of white monks back in the Dark Ages.
African slaves were deliberately indoctrinated with this nonsense to effect control and in-still fear amongst those viewed as lesser beings.
What have you learnt from history, what have you done to break the bonds of the past, why do you still allow your mind to be controlled by
Zealots and bigots?
Let’s go for a judicial review on christianity. See if we can ban that. I swear if i went down on bended knee every night at the foot of my bed and prayed to an invisible person called ‘steve’ they’d lock me up for lunacy. They’re not christians in the true sense of the word. They’re bigots.
Well didn’t the government spend hundreds of thousands on the port?
A port that will effect everyone and generations to come. How a person decides to live is their right and should not be force to live how another person deems is right…. just cause you sin different don’t mean your going to “burn” less. Seem hot hell for all of us……
Seriously? This is absolutely ridiculous! What a waste of time and money – this law is going into place whether you like it or not. It’s 2020 and your beliefs in an imaginary person in the sky are not above people’s rights
Wasting government money why don’t the church are the opposition donate to push her hateful agenda. People need to not be misled by this so call christian Wasting money. May she fail with this agenda and to believe they approve her application.
Women being abused who need for legal aid don’t even get it sad sad.I dont think our money should be wasted this way.Love wins anyday.
What is wrong with you. The domestic issues and our children being harmed is not important to the Christians in this community… why cause they are the actual perturbators. Put the attention else where and it is deflected from their own sins. Like Jesus said “he who is without sin cast the first stone”. I will pile up the bricks let see who cast the first one…..
Perpetrators *
Way to go CAC!
All a bunch of self righteous fools hiding behind the words of a book written by men and interpreted a million times over to suit their own desire for control. Here we are a million years letter still drinking the brainwashing cherry flavored kool-ad