High Court tackling of case backlogs ‘exceeds expectations,’ says Chief Justice

By Aaron Humes: During last week’s re-opening of the High Court Building at Treasury Lane, Chief Justice of Belize Louise Blenman had good news to report about the court’s machinery since its conversion through legislation into the Senior Courts of Belize.

As a result of the re-organization, Chief Justice Blenman is the first jurist to have control over both the High Court, formerly the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeal, which is headed by President Minnet Hafiz-Bertram.

The C.J. in her speech commended the judges of both the Criminal and Civil Divisions of the High Court for “exceeding expectations” and providing exemplary service in reducing the court’s backlog of cases: “We are fortunate to be one of the beneficiaries of the highly valued EU-UNDP Pace Justice Project. This will provide technological support and training for stakeholders in the criminal justice sector with a view to reducing backlogs and improving access to justice. We are grateful for the industry of the Justices of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. They are rendering exemplary service. Their outstanding rates of disposal and clearance of criminal cases in the High Court are exemplary. The Civil Division is also doing extremely well. All of our judges have risen to the challenges. Judges together have substantially reduced the backlogs and we are now hearing cases which are four to five years old. The Bar, both public and private, have also played an important role in this regard and for this we are very grateful. In my view, the judges are exceeding my expectations and if I say that, that means a lot about them.”

Additional reforms in place include a Criminal Justice Board which has been working on identifying the root causes of backlogs in the system and making recommendations. This has been complemented by the introduction of pre-trial tools such as plea discussion and agreement which has introduced such things as sentencing guideline hearings in which accused persons hear directly from the judge what a potential sentence may look like. Official sentencing guidelines have also been created to help expedite cases and streamline justice for all involved.

On the civil side, the C.J. referred to mediation as a tool for reducing backlogs in litigation, a home for which is now provided at the High Court: “After a hiatus of several years, the Dorman National Mediation Committee was resuscitated and expanded last year. And in May of this year, after a break of 13 years, a cohort of 19 Code Connected mediators was appointed. This is a very welcome step to complement this trial process by fortifying alternative means of resolving disputes. With heavy dockets, court-connected mediation is a necessary tool. Happily, our new building has made provision for a lovely mediation room, and I’m very pleased that we can move straight ahead with continued mediation.”

The High Court is now reunited at Treasury Lane and Regent Street after splitting space with the Old National Bank Building further down Regent Street.

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