Jury System Consultation Extended To Jan 31st
The Ministry of Justice today announced that the public consultation on modernising Bermuda’s jury system has been extended to 31 January 2026, providing residents with additional time to share their views on the proposed reforms.
A Government spokesperson said, “The consultation, which was originally scheduled to conclude on 31 December 2025, will continue to be hosted on the Government’s public consultation platform at forum.gov.bm, where members of the public can review the proposals and submit feedback online.
“Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Kim Wilkerson said the decision to extend the consultation period reflects the Government’s commitment to broad and meaningful public engagement, including focused outreach to young people.”
“Extending the consultation period allows us to ensure that a wide range of perspectives are considered,” said Minister Wilkerson. “I would also like to thank everyone who has participated in the consultation so far, including those who attended parish council meetings and those who took the time to engage with us through public forums and media discussions. Their contributions are valued and form an important part of this process.”
The Government spokesperson said, “As part of the extended consultation period, the Ministry will host a dedicated engagement session at CedarBridge Academy later this month.
“The session will focus on introducing senior school students to the role and importance of juries and inviting their perspectives on how Bermuda’s jury system can continue to evolve.”
Minister Wilkerson noted that directly engaging young people represents a unique and forward-looking element of the consultation, “The feedback we have received to date—from public meetings, online submissions and radio discussions—has already been insightful, and this continued engagement will help shape meaningful change.”
“We believe that engaging students at this stage allows us to better understand how young Bermudians view civic responsibility and participation, and those insights can help inform a reformed jury selection system that reflects the society it serves,” Minister Wilkerson added.
The Government spokesperson said, “Members of the public are encouraged to visit forum.gov.bm to review the consultation materials and submit their feedback before the revised closing date of 31 January 2026. Feedback received will help inform final policy decisions.”
I was at a meeting in the fall where these were discussed and I am all for the modernization of the jury system and making it more efficient. Well done for taking the wheel and moving this forward.
The Ministry appears to be very disappointed at the response from the public therefore the extension on public input time.
Many of us have never been called. Many of us have had little or no interaction with the courts over the years. For many court cases are of little interest other than what is read in the media.
The courts are a mess from top to bottom. Many are disallusioned by the whole thing.