Laws
Roper: CIG can choose to implement gay marriage
(CNS): Following the judgment delivered Monday by the Privy Council in London on a Cayman Islands same-sex marriage case, Governor Martyn Roper has said that the ruling clarifies a point of law regarding Cayman’s Constitution, which is “that it cannot be construed as including a right for same-sex couples to marry”. But he said this […]
UK court denies same-sex marriage appeal
(CNS): The UK Privy Council has denied the appeal by Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden-Bush of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn Chief Justice Anthony Smellie’s 2019 ruling legalising same-sex marriage. The London-based judicial board rejected their argument and upheld the position of the Cayman Islands Government (CIG) that the CI Constitution […]
Still no Privy Council decision on gay marriage case
(CNS): This past Wednesday marked one year since the appeal by Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden-Bush to reinstate the chief justice’s March 2019 ruling legalising same-sex marriage was argued before the Privy Council in London, but they have still not received a decision. A judicial review last year of the governor’s move to introduce civil […]
Activists aim for broad hate crime law
(CNS): Noel Cayasso-Smith, president of the Cayman LGBTQ Foundation, says that efforts by local activists campaigning for hate crime legislation in Cayman have begun to bear fruit. The governor recently held a meeting with representatives from the Foundation, Colours Caribbean and the Red Cross, and an independent expert.
Kids need protection from criminalisation
(CNS): As part of the review of the Penal Code, the Law Reform Commission is recommending that the Cayman Islands raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least twelve, or even 14 years old, to prevent children from being criminalised when they don’t have the capacity to infringe the criminal law, are too […]
Action needed to get ganja law passed
(CNS): A group of local citizens say that if government does not address the pressing need to change the current legislation prohibiting the consumption of recreational ganja and decriminalise the use of the plant, then will they will get a petition together for a people’s referendum to present to Cabinet by June.
Law reformers open discussion on legal abortion
(CNS): The Law Reform Commission has opened a public consultation on reforming the prohibition in the Cayman Islands on almost all abortions and ending the criminalisation of women who want to terminate their pregnancies when their lives are not necessarily at risk. A new discussion paper released by the LRC in December proposes the first […]
André promises radical change for those in need
(CNS): Social Development Minister André Ebanks has promised “transformative change” across the social services landscape of the Cayman Islands, which includes repealing and replacing the “horribly titled” Poor People’s Relief Act in the first quarter of next year and a significant increase in investment in what will become the Financial Assistance Department. According to the […]
Anglin to ‘chip in’ on costs for same-sex unions JR
(CNS): The Grand Court has upheld a decision by the legal aid director requiring Kattina Anglin to contribute towards the cost of the judicial review, which she successfully secured, of the governor’s use of his powers to implement legislation providing for same-sex civil unions. Because Anglin is soliciting funds for the legal fight through the […]
LGBT advocates will have voice in JR of civil unions
(CNS): The Grand Court has ruled that Colours Caribbean, a local LGBTQIA+ advocacy group, has the expertise to intervene in a judicial review brought by a conservative Christian group challenging the way the law that provides for same-sex civil unions was rolled out. Justice Richard Williams said that Colours is not only well aware of […]
Lawyer drafts bill, begins campaign for ganja vote
(CNS): Local lawyer Orrie Merren and businessman Prentice Panton have joined forces to spearhead a campaign for government to decriminalise the private possession and recreational use of ganja. Having already written draft legislation and contacted government about their proposal, Merren and Panton hope they can persuade PACT to move towards a sustainable cannabis policy for […]
