Judicial Complaints Protocol For Bermuda
The newly revised Judicial Complaints Protocol for Bermuda has been issued.
Chief Justice Larry Mussenden said, “It is my pleasure, along with Sir Christopher Clarke, President of the Court of Appeal and Chair of the JLSC, to issue the Judicial Complaints Protocol for Bermuda [Revised 4 April 2025]. The Protocol is effective 4 April 2025.
“The revision process has been underway for over a year now [since the Court of Appeal case of Junos v HE the Governor] with many rounds of consultation involving the members of the JLSC, the Court of Appeal, the Judges of the Supreme Court, the Registrars and the Magistrates.
“The aim of the revision exercise was to bring the Protocol into line with the findings of the Court of Appeal in Junos, the main point being that the JLSC acts in an advisory capacity to the Governor.
“Other principal changes included setting out who can sit on Filtering Committees, the various ways in which a successful complaint may be dealt with and the introduction of an appeal procedure in relation to complaints determined by the Chief Justice or the President; but not those determined by the Governor, who under the Constitution has the final say in relation to members below the level of the Supreme Court.
“The Protocol will be posted on the Judiciary website at https://www.gov.bm/department/judiciary. The JLSC will now set about addressing the existing complaints. Once the JLSC has worked through that list, it will be able to deal with complaints in a timely manner once submitted.”
The full Judicial Complaints Protocol for Bermuda follows below [PDF here]:
It took a while but is done. Good news for us, the ordinary, hardworking citizen. Thank you, Ms. Junos and those who worked to bring it to fruition.