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JCPC visit to inaugurate new courtroom in the Cayman Islands

JCPC visit to inaugurate new courtroom in the Cayman Islands

See also: JCPC in the Cayman Islands

As a prelude to the hearings in the Cayman Islands by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), set to take place from 15-18 November 2022, a formal opening ceremony will take place in Grand Court 1, at the Halls of Justice Main Court Building in Grand Cayman on Tuesday, 15 November.

Halls of Justice Main Court Building in Grand Cayman

The ceremony will be preceded by the inspection of a Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) Guard of Honour by the President of the JCPC, The Right Hon. the Lord Reed of Allermuir, at 9:00 Cayman time (13:00 GMT). This ceremony will take place in front of the Halls of Justice Main Court Building and will be followed by a brief reception in the second-floor foyer, prior to the formal opening in adjoining Grand Court 1. Grand Court 2 will be available as additional accommodation for those wishing to witness the opening, albeit virtually, in that courtroom.

Officials who will be joining the Chief Justice, the Hon. Margaret Ramsay-Hale, and the recently retired Chief Justice, Sir Anthony Smellie, in welcoming the five JCPC Justices at the opening ceremonies will be HE the Governor Mr. Martyn Roper; the Premier, the Hon. Wayne Panton; the Deputy Premier, the Hon. Christopher Saunders; and Attorney General the Hon. Samuel Bulgin, KC, head of the Cayman Bar. The official party will be complemented by other members of Cayman’s Judiciary and the legal community, including the President of the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association (CILPA), Mr. Erik Bodden, who will be arriving for the opening ceremonies.

Accompanying Lord Reed at the opening ceremonies will be the Deputy President of the JCPC and the Supreme Court, The Right Hon. the Lord Hodge, and the three other visiting Justices of the JCPC and the Supreme Court: The Right Hon. the Lord Lloyd-Jones; The Right Hon. the Lord Briggs of Westbourne; and The Right Hon. the Lord Kitchin.

Following these preliminaries, the first day of hearings will begin at approximately 11:15 Cayman time (15:15 GMT) in the specially appointed Court (Courtroom 9), located on the second floor of the Halls of Justice Building C (the former Bank of Nova Scotia Building). Courtroom 9 is a new state-of-the-art courtroom, and the JCPC visit will be the first time that it will be used.

Interior photo of Courtroom 9 at the Cayman Islands

Cases to be heard by the JCPC are Justin Ramoon (Appellant) v Governor of the Cayman Islands (Respondent); FamilyMart China Holding Co. Ltd. (Respondent) v Ting Chuan (Cayman Islands) Holding Corporation (Appellant) (Cayman Islands); and HEB Enterprises Ltd. and another (Respondents) v Bernice Richards (as Personal Representative of the Estate of Anthony Richards, (Deceased) (Appellant) (Cayman Islands).

In addition to conducting hearings, the Justices will be engaged in several information-sharing initiatives designed to add value to the visit for the Cayman Islands. These include a “Court Users” meeting, to be attended by a cross-section of legal practitioners; and a meeting with senior high-school-aged students from UCCI, University College of the Cayman Islands (Dual Enrolment programme), Cayman Prep. High, and St. Ignatius High, who will be participating in the JCPC’s “Ask a Justice” programme.

The Justices will also visit the Truman Bodden Law School for a tour and another “Ask a Justice” session with law students.

The Ask a Justice sessions provide a unique insight into the work of the Justices and are excellent for students with a keen interest in the law.

There will also be social activities that will enable a cross-section of Cayman citizens to interact with the Justices. This will include a reception at Government House, at which a range of judicial, legal, government, and community interests will attend.

The five Justices and accompanying JCPC support staff will attend the wreath-laying ceremony on Memorial Sunday at the Cenotaph in the Courtyard of the Elmslie Memorial Church. Lord Reed will lay a wreath on behalf of the JCPC in memory of those who died in the two World Wars.

The visiting Justices and support staff will also have an opportunity to visit points of interest, affording insights into Cayman’s culture and history.

At the conclusion of the visit, CILPA will host the justices at a reception, expected to be attended by a range of public and private professionals in the legal, judicial, and government spheres.

Notes to Editors

For further information, or if you have any questions, please contact:

Scot Marchbank - Head of Communications
07760 991037

Cloe Ofori - Media and Communications Manager
020 7960 1888
07825 283 877

E. Patricia Ebanks (Cayman Islands Government Judicial Administration) 1345-244-3751 1345-938-2209

2. The case pages for the three cases that will be heard in the Cayman Islands are:

3. Biographical information about the Justices can be found on the JCPC website, at: Biographies of the Justices. To request high-resolution images of the Justices, please email cloe.ofori@supremecourt.uk or rebecca.lowson@supremecourt.uk