The Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal and Member of Parliament for Carmichael led debate in the House Of Assembly on Wednesday on bills seeking to reform the judiciary. During his contribution the Minister spoke to the issue of case backlog and increasing the number of Supreme Court judges.
The Hon. Keith Bell told Parliamentarians, “over the past decades The Bahamas has experienced exponential growth both in terms of our population and economy thereby placing tremendous pressure on our Supreme Court. On the civil side, Madam Speaker, we have seen the number of land matters, divorce cases and complex civil cases. These case require more and more judicial time and has resulted in unacceptable delays in litigation. I am advised, Madam Speaker, that trial dates before the Supreme Court are more than twelve months away. As a matter of fact there is one that’s been given in 2025. That means, Madam Speaker, that Justices have no available dates next year. On the criminal side, serious offences are tried before the Supreme Court for decades.”
