Judge-alone trials to be made permanent

The system of judge-alone trials, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic
through a ‘sunrise legislation’ will be made a permanent feature of the justice
system.
This comes as Attorney General, Sir Steadroy Benjamin, who read to the Cabinet a
letter he received from the Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
urging the government to retain the measure.
“The head of the court system recommended that the law which permits for a
judge-alone trial be made permanent, eliminating the sunset clause which appeared
in the law at first. The Chief Justice applauded Antigua and Barbuda for being the
first in the O.E.C.S. jurisdiction to have adopted the law, causing the jurisdiction to
join Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos, Belize and Trinidad and
Tobago in the region,” according to Cabinet sources.
Other jurisdictions that have adopted the measure include Australia, Canada, New
Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States also
have Judge-alone trials by legislation.
The Cabinet decided that it will cause the amendment to the law to make that kind
of trial a permanent feature of the Antigua and Barbuda legal system.
The law setting up the judge-alone trials was de to expire in May, but the Attorney
General said consultations have been held with key stakeholders such as the Bar
Association, criminal attorneys and others on how should the government proceed
on the matter.
“They are all in favour of the system and they are asking us to please continue this
new system of judge-alone trials,” Sir Steadroy reported.
Judge-alone trials became necessary when COVID-19 protocols made having
juries preside over trials a very difficult task.