Tag: Cayman Islands Grand Court
Local silk appointed as acting Grand Court judge
(CNS): Ben Tonner KC has been appointed as an acting judge of the Grand Court and will serve from 5 August to 30 August during the newly introduced Long Vacation between the summer sitting and the winter sitting. Governor Jane Owen made the appointment on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.
Appeal court finds BoR doesn’t protect charity workers
(CNS): A woman who was fired from a non-profit organisation but had won a partial legal victory regarding her labour rights has lost to the government in the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. The Grand Court had found that the Labour Act is incompatible with the Bill of Rights because anyone working for an NPO […]
‘New chief, old speech’ as CJ pleads for new courthouse
(CNS): Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale made an impassioned public plea to politicians attending the formal opening of the Grand Court on Wednesday, as she noted that, despite a number of capital projects planned in this budget cycle, there was no money for a new court building. Making the most of the opportunity to speak directly […]
Defendant wins appeal for KC in murder retrial
(CNS): The Grand Court has overturned a decision by the Legal Aid director not to fund a King’s Counsel from the UK for a man facing a second trial for murder. Javon James Dixon successfully appealed the decision in the Grand Court, arguing that there were no KCs on the island who would be able […]
Chief justice reveals plans for district courts
(CNS): Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale has revealed plans to introduce district courts to help maintain the momentum in clearing the summary court backlog of criminal cases and take justice closer to the people, starting with a pilot later this year in West Bay. The country’s top judge said that the courts will lose access to […]
Killers sent to UK will get a special court hearing
(CNS): Two local brothers who were convicted in 2016 of murdering Jason Powery in July 2015 at a George Town bar and then forcibly sent to the UK in 2017 to serve their life sentences on grounds of national security have brought a legal challenge asking to be returned home to the Cayman Islands. Following […]
Scotia refit delay ‘unacceptable’ says CJ
(CNS): The shortage of courtrooms to deal with criminal trials is continuing to cause serious problems for the local judicial system and Chief Justice Anthony Smellie said has called the continued delay on the work needed to refit the old Scotia Building “unacceptable”. Speaking at the opening of the Grand Court this week, the chief […]
Finance laws still dominate drafting agenda
(CNS): Attorney General Samuel Bulgin has said Cayman is suffering from “review fatigue” over the scrutiny the jurisdiction faces relating to its vulnerability to financial crime in the offshore sector and related industries. Despite the ongoing engagement with international initiatives relating to taxes, anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing, the constantly changing rules require more […]
Court project delayed by redtape
(CNS): Chief Justice Anthony Smellie has said that red-tape is holding up the redevelopment of the Scotia Building, acquired by the government more than a year ago to provide much needed new court rooms. Speaking at the annual official opening of the Grand Court, on Wednesday, he told the legal fraternity gathered for the event […]
Ramsay-Hale returns to Cayman bench
(CNS): Margaret Ramsay-Hale, who served for many years as a magistrate in Summary Court and as an acting Grand Court judge here in the Cayman Islands before she left to sit on the bench in the Turks and Caicos Islands, is returning to in the New Year. Governor Martyn Roper, on advice from the Judicial […]
Lack of lawyers and space fuel crime case backlog
(CNS): The backlog of criminal indictments carried over from 2018 into this year is the largest ever, Chief Justice Anthony Smellie told the Cayman Islands legal profession Wednesday at the annual opening of the Grand Court. Cases are not being disposed of due to shortages of both space and defence lawyers willing to take on […]
