Come September 2022, the Criminal Division and the Civil section of Dominica’s High Court will have new faces on the bench.
This as seasoned attorney and legal instructor His Lordship the Honorable Justice Richard Floyd has been announced as the replacements for Justice Wynante Adrien-Roberts who is being transferred to St. Lucia.
The Canadian native and international Attorney, who presently adjudicates matters in the British Virgin Islands will officially commence his duties in this jurisdiction effective September 15.
Justice Floyd, who is said to have Caribbean roots, oversaw the development of Antigua’s first dedicated Criminal Court while serving there as Criminal Division .
He was educated at the University of Ottawa, York University, and attended Harvard University in the United States. He has been active in his local communities, having served on the Board of Directors for Hospice in both Canada and Antigua; as a board member for addictions and community mental health organizations; and as a long-time member of the Ontario Soccer Association.
Justice Floyd previously worked as Crown Counsel in Canada, a Prosecutor in Australia, and taught at Queen’s University Law School in Canada. In 2016, he was recognized as an International Fellow with the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, DC.
Justice Adrien-Roberts, who is a Dominican, served in this jurisdiction for three years after she was transferred from Grenada in 2019 replacing Justice Victoria Charles-Clarke.
It was earlier announced that Guyanese-born Jacqueline Graham will take up her appointment effective September 1, 2022, as Dominica’s civil replacing Justice Bernie Stephenson.
Justice Stephenson who served in this jurisdiction for nearly 13 years was transferred to St. Vincent and the Grenadines effective July 15, 2022.
I just want to remind Justice Richard Floyd about the reason PM Tony Blair’s Government passed the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 in the UK Parliament. It was to separate the Supreme Court from the House of Lords which sat in Parliament and was also the Court of Last Instance in the UK. This arrangement did not lend itself to the appearance of an independent judiciary. Thus, the UK Supreme Court which came into being as a result of the 2005 Act was separated from Parlaiment and the House of Lords to give the Judiciary an appearance of judicial independence.
I hope Justice Richard Floyd will remember why it was done in the UK and allow his decision to be similarly independent of political influence, just like Tony Blair did in the UK in 2005.
i hope you are fair and impartial.
He will only be fair and impartial if the UWP cabal wins all their cases. How stupid can you be, if only we did not know better?
What? are you a complete idiot? Labor and workers alone you can think about? no wonder the island is the way it is. The way some of you think is like little children that never grew up. Backwards in reasoning. Im speaking about the man’s role as a judge. regardless of the case presented he must be fair and impartial, whether it is theft, rape, murder, libel and slander or otherwise.
@ds, you keep parroting the same rediculous statement that only if the UWP wins all it’s cases will it see the court as being fair and just. Let me remind you that the judicial system is an adversarial one. However when there is clear interference in the workings of the justice system and incompetence and favoritism the losing side has a right to challenge the decisions of the court and where possible to kick the matter to the highest level of the judicial system and to complain. You seem to think that you are the spokesperson for the UWP but no one in the leadership of the opposition has said that except you bloviating. The CCJ which has no allegiance to the UWP has exposed deficiencies in the lower court system decisions as well. Let’s hope that the new judge isn’t as weak and nepotistic as the current police chief nor duck for cover but call out the shenanigans and confront them head on for the sake of justice.
Our judges are appointed not by heads of government but by a majority vote of the 11 members of the RJLSC (Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission). Justice Floyd was born in Canada, a Commonwealth country and would also be qualified to cast his vote in our general elections for parliament.
But the heads of government have to agree with the appointment. So one Mr. Skerrit is unlikely to agree with the appointment of a person that right from the onset wouldn’t serve his agenda or shares his views on certain things.
I said just what i wanted to say. You hear what you want. It is amazing that people like you and many others are conditioned like domesticated pets to see only colours and partisanship. Some see red or blue and get in a frenzy irrespective of what is being said. For your sake i will make it a lil clearer. This judge needs to ensure justice is not denied nor delayed and not be corrupted by politicians (anyone seeking public office). There is a living record of what is happening in this country and those in power seemed obsessed with manipulation of judiciary. I will stand against any man, party or organization hell bent on manipulation of the people.
No, many of us are simply too smart for the koshonie that you guys spew on DNO and Q95 each day. How do you explain the repeated futile cases that the UWPwee pursues in Court? Did you read the last ten election petitions? How can you ever get pass the front door to the Court, let alone win a case, with such baseless arguments?
The only “record” there is of “manipulation by the judiciary” is when Linton bellows for you guys to go surround the court each time he or a member of his troupe is summoned to Court in the hope that a boisterous motley crew will intimidate the judiciary. This, my friend, is the ONLY documented effort by a political party in Dominica in the last 20 years to manipulate the judiciary. Apart from this, you and I know of no other example. So, enough with this foolishness.
Justice is blind. Do you ever come here to tell the world when the Court has been favourable to you guys? No, you would not. Boss, go sit in a corner!
Our problem in Dominica is the corrupter who corrupts every one and everything on island. So unless we get rid of the corrupter in chief no matter who they bring nothing will change
Rechard, as long as Roosevelt Skerrit had anything to do with your employment, you will remain suspect; in that any verdict you render in the government of Dominica favor will be suspect!
They say every man has his price; However, I can only hope with your resume you will not allow a corrupted crook such a Roosevelt Skerrit buy your body mind and soul.
Don’t be alarmed when your telephone rings at midnight or three o’clock in the morning, and it is Roosevelt Skerrit on the other end, or some corrupted lawyer demanding you throw the law books and your reputation into the gutter and do as they demand for a fee!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
That sort of thing is traditional in Dominica, and the Caribbean on a whole, but worst in Roosevelt Skerrit Dominica.
As long as Antigua, and Dominica is listed on your resume, that will be a minus to your reputation.
Looks like you want to eat your cake and still have it, en? As along as he doesn’t announce a verdict in favor of the UWP cabal he remains suspect. Once you were a doctor with a medical background, now you are a judge with a law background and also a Dictator who wants to dictate to the judge how he should dispense justice. Why don’t you just rest your old self in a hammock and smoke a pipe with your grand kids around you? Whilst you are at it, please check your ED.
“Looks like you want to eat your cake and still have it, en?”
ds, it is common to be asks in America “where did you go?” That term is used when educated minds engaged in conversations; depending on the level of education one discover in their new acquaintance: often they asks each other “where did you go” that is a simply way of asking what college or university they attended!
You see this here: “Looks like you want to eat your cake and still have it, en?”
That does not belong in this conversation; it has absolutely no relevance.
Any if this guy were to render a verdict in the favor of the members of the UWP, it would be justice, and indeed justice long overdue!
I would only hope he do what is right according to law, and not be persuaded by Roosevelt Skerrit, and the rest of the corrupted judicial crooks operating as bandits in the country, under the color of law!
Corruption is a disease, both infectious and contagious and must be treated accordingly.
Whom on earth who start writing with lower case letter ?man ask your kids or kid if you have before you do those crazy thing, come on .
Pa pa met ? who recommend that one Gason Brown. Virgin island ? that’s the nest where they breeding corruption. Dominicans you all well hear more later .
You all remmeber Glassgo the traitor thats was recommended by Tony Asstaphan look out . Hey people what about Chucksie case , am just asking.
Justice is Not based on where one is born or color of their skin. Truth is if Skerrit hired him he already knows he has him in his back pocket to carry his corrupt practices. Left to me Skerrit could even hire the once well respected local evangelist and that would not have changed anything. By now we all know that Skerrit hires no one without getting a commitment to continue the corruption from them. Same damn old thing
Musical chairs! Let’s wait and see if the new brooms can resist the constant overtures of the so called PM. On a brighter note, it can hardly get worse since Adrien-Roberts and Stephenson have been moved away from Dominica. I’m sure they do a better job in St. Lucia and St. Vincent since they wont be exposed to political pressure there and are allowed to dispense justice according to the law of the land only.
Actually, certain Blue boys and gals were sad and in tears and up in arms against the transfer of Adrien-Roberts.
So, your information is a bit skewed.
Who, her fellow CM worshippers and chamber mates? Give us some names, don’t just blow Hot Air.
Only when the UWP cabal wins all their cases will justice be dispensed fairly. What kind of lawyer are you? You must be one of these Philadelphia shysters. Your broke lawyer.
be unbiased ,impartial and fair. Let not political influence blind your tenure
Whom on earth who start writing with lower case letter ?man ask your kids or kid if you have before you do those crazy thing, come on we are in 2022 .
At this time what I will say is let’s see what he brings to the court. I’m hoping that we will once again see the supremacy of the rule of law in the country. Only time will tell. However because Gaston and Roosevelt are two peas in a pod and in an era where the infantile Caribbean court is afraid of the influence of the politicians, justice Floyd will have to show that even because he’s from Canada he sees the law differently from those who were before him in Dominica’s legal theatre. Floyd could be the Phillip that the subregional justice system needs. Time will tell.
Mr. St Jean, no one person, no matter how morally sound he may be, can change an institution that is as systemically corrupt as our justice system. Only the collective will and effort of the nation can do this.
Let’s assume that the new judge is a man of impeccable integrity. He, trying to infuse probity into our judiciary, is like performing CPR on a cadaver.
You sound like a kindergarten kid. As long the UWP cabal wins all their cases, we good. He not corrupt. He is of impeccable and immaculate integrity. Boy, oh boy. The man who got more degrees than a quadrilateral, talking rubbish and bull dust. What kind of foolishness is this? It is hard to comprehend. Did you ever take a course in Introduction to Logic?
@lbo France, I have hope because I’m old enough to remember in the 1970’s there was a magistrate in Dominca we labelled as “you follow”. This man applied the law as no other and had a reputation of a no nonesence legal operative. They do exist from time to time even if you might want to posit that these are different times. “You follow” was different in his time. Keep hope alive.
Jonathan, both you and IBO are two D…-heads. You want a judge who slants towards the UWP cabal and, that is a good judge. You are nothing but a boom boom clat. You have IBO who talks about an anachronistic justice system but, here he is with a Christopher Columbus mentality, still in the 15 century, wants a high school drop out back in the sixties to be the PM of Dominica among university graduates PMs of the other islands of today in this day and age. Isn’t that anachronism? I guess he still want to be riding on horse back today down King George V Street instead of driving in a brand new Toyota Camry like I do.
@ds
You mirror Dog Abuser. You even quote from this congenital braindead. You should hang your head in perpetual shame.
Such ridiculous nonsense coming from a man who proudly claims that he and
each of his eleven (11) daughters have so many degrees that they could open a store and sell.
With a corrupt and a ‘loose cannon’ government, having the authority to contract the DPP and magistrates, doesn’t inspire public confidence in the justice system.
I wish the new judge well but I’m of the strong opinion that with this anachronistic justice system unchanged, the excesses and unfairness of the system will continue unabated.
There is a saying which states that ‘justice is an ass’.It’s a truism in Dominica.
What is so anachronism of this justice system today except when one wants to see a high school drop out of the sixties as head of this country among other PMs today who are doctors and lawyers, economists and Phds and university graduates? Now, that’s anachronistic. What say you, Ibo?
Put the erudite Mr. Linton and the dimwitted Roosevelt without scripts to debate any economic, political or general issues and let’s see what will transpire.
Why don’t you advocate for a debate of this nature, strictly issues oriented. Linton will expose Roosevelt for the ignoramus he is. It will be like donkey (Roosevelt) racing a horse (Linton).
Roosevelt is an inarticulate, incoherent, inept, cartoonish character, while Mr. Linton is a polished, preeminent, proven statesman.
Would you support such a one on one debate? Strictly on issues affecting the country and practical solutions to these concerns. Bring it on!
All I can say is that Roosevelt Skerrit is down to earth and explains it all in different languages so even the man on the street is able to comprehend what his PM is saying and talking about. As opposed to Linton who is downright pompous, conceited, cocky and aloof and uses big words to impress people like you and the rest of the UWP cabal. Linton is just an impressionist with nothing really there.
It takes him the best part of 5 minutes to string one single sentence together. His math is not all that bright either. See how poorly he ‘accounted’ for our CBI money.
DS my boy, don’t blame your lack of intelligence on Lennox Linton. That reflects poorly on you, trust me.
All Linton does is to make a damn caricature of himself. I don’t know what you see in Lennox that I don’t see. I must be blind like Stevie Wonder.
ds boy; I don’t know “where did you go;” or where you got your education from, but you do not seems to be as educated, smart or as intelligent as you might believe you are.
Now I believe the word “caricature” means a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
Are you implying that Lennox Linton is imitating someone in Dominica or on this planet, if so; you should have no problems identifying the person Lennox desires to be like!
For your information, Lennox has long discover the hero in himself; hence, he even dispatch comments using an E-mail with phrase or synonym: “hero-in you.”
ds; if you don’t have it you can’t cut it, if a person is limited academically, smart phone google, or a thousand dictionaries cannot educate them in an academical way!
Go ahead Mr Google man, Telemakak. You know the meaning of every word. I stand by what I wrote. Lennox is a caricature and an a.shole and a joker. Send me a caricature of Lennox. Let me see what he looks like. He is already ugly Lenny.
As long as he is not corrupted we good. Just do darn job free of political influence or the perception of it. You are coming here to oversee Justice. I need not explain
I bet what you are saying is “as long as he rules in favour of the UWPwee!” After all, the only justice and fairness and rule of law that this pressure group knows is that which serves it. Be honest and say what you really want to say.
By that I take it that you are implying as long as the UWP cabal wins their court cases, then and only then, this new judge is not corrupt and free of political influence. Boy, you make no sense at all. Is that how you define an impartial judge? The UWP cabal must win everything. Boy, you are loco. You need to find you a mouchacha from Venezuela.