Governor General of Barbados, Her Excellency Dame Sandra Mason (right) having a laugh with new Justice of Appeal, Madam Justice Margaret Reifer (left) after the Oath of Allegiance ceremony at Government House yesterday as Chief Justice, Sir Patterson Cheltenham listens attentively.
Madam Justice Margaret Reifer has been elevated to the office of Justice of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal Judge took the Oath of Allegiance at Government House yesterday, before Governor General of Barbados, Her Excellency Dame Sandra Mason. Witnessing the brief ceremony was Barbados’ Chief Justice, Sir Patterson Cheltenham and close relatives, after which Justice Reifer spoke about the task that awaits her, with immediate effect.
“Not so much in the Court of Appeal, but as the press is aware, we do have a bit of a slowdown because of COVID. We have tried to function as best we can. All of us have been doing Zoom hearings either from our courtrooms or at home and I expect we will be doing much of the same, until we are able to resume normal sittings,” Justice Reifer commented, as she reflected on how those in the judicial system have been functioning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and how she will carry out her duties, in her new elevated post.
She meanwhile noted, “We have looked at a number of proposals for addressing the issue of backlogs and addressing all of the issues as it relates to the criminal division”.
“First and foremost, we increased the number of judges, which is a critical and fundamental step. We have looked at organising the work of the judiciary differently. We will now be functioning in divisions. That won’t be my position at the Court of Appeal, but generally and across the board, that is what we are doing. The Chief Justice has indicated that he will be setting up committees to address the critical areas, so that we can determine what we will be able to do, in order to resolve those difficult areas,” Justice Reifer pointed out.
Speaking to her elevation to Justice of Appeal, Justice Reifer meanwhile noted that she is honored to have reached this stage in her personal life. Acknowledging that her career in the legal profession has been filled with hard work, Reifer said she expects more hard work, as she is no stranger to it. In fact, she noted that there was no honeymoon period awaiting her as she was scheduled to sit yesterday, after her swearing in ceremony and for the rest of the week as well. (RSM)