THE PRESIDENT, NOT THE JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION, HAS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE CHANCELLOR AND CHIEF JUSTICE

Article 127(1) of the Constitution provides as follows: “The Chancellor and Chief Justice shall each be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.” Article 128(1) underlines the power of appointment given to the President. It provides: “The Judges, other than the Chancellor and Chief Justice, shall be […]

THERE IS NO OBSTACLE TO APPOINTING A CHANCELLOR AND CHIEF JUSTICE

The judiciary, along with the executive and legislature, is one of the three constitutional pillars of the state. But the two most important positions in the judiciary, the Chancellor and Chief Justice, have been held under acting appointments for approximately two decades. The last confirmed Chief Justice was Desiree Bernard from 1996 to 2001 and […]

LAW WEEK

Law Week, sponsored by the Guyana Bar Association (GBA), is yet another innovative and imaginative effort by the legal profession to highlight and promote the importance of law and a law-based society in Guyana. Law Week commenced with the ceremonial opening of the April Assizes which involved for the first time a procession of Judges […]

THE COURT OF APPEAL CAN SHINE A LEGAL LIGHT ON THE WAY FORWARD

President Granger last Friday said that “the Government is conducting its affairs in accordance with the Constitution and with respect for the rule of law.” He sought to convince the nation that it was the Speaker of the National Assembly who directed the Government’s approach to the court and that the cooperation of the Opposition is necessary for credible elections. He […]

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND THE CITIZEN

On Wednesday last the public was treated to a brilliant and expansive lecture by the former Chancellor (ag) of the Judiciary and now Distinguished Jurist-in-Residence at the University of Guyana, Carl Singh. The subject was “The Constitutional Guarantee of Fundamental Rights and the Citizen. The lecture, to a packed hall and attentive audience at Herdmanston […]