| “The Family Court is meant to be an all-embracing court,” said High Court Judge, Madame Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire, yesterday.She said that families face different conflicts but with the opening of the new entity expected by next month, these matters will be dealt with under one roof.The Family Court building.“We will deal with all issues that they bring to the Court and even those that they don’t because the court can inquire,” the senior Judge said. She added that the court will take a holistic approach to family-related issues.She was at the time engaging members of the media during a seminar, yesterday,Cheap China Jerseys, at the Georgetown Club, Camp Street, Georgetown.During the event which was organised through collaboration with the Supreme Court and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Madame Justice George-Wiltshire and her colleagues, Mesdames Justices Dawn Gregory, Sandra Kertizous,Cheap Jerseys From China, Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justice Brassington Reynolds sought to familiarize attorneys on the procedures that will obtain in the family court.Using the case of a divorce as an example, Madame Justice George-Wiltshire said the Family Court will be handling the division of property, and the welfare of the children. She emphasised that by law, a divorce cannot be granted without consideration of the welfare of the children.“It’s meant to be a holistic court so we won’t have persons going to different courts, within the High Court jurisdiction,Jerseys NFL Cheap, before the Chamber Judge, the Bail Court Judge, the Civil Court Judge. All those issues will be heard before one Judge in the Family Court,Jerseys NFL Wholesale China,” Madame Justice George emphasised.Justice George-Wiltshire said that when she stated one Judge will be presiding over the matter, she in no way meant that the court will have only one Judge. “When I speak about one Judge,NFL Jerseys Outlet, I mean that from the time of filing the parties engage the court system and whatever proceedings they have will be dealt with by one Judge.”She said that even if four to five judges are in the family court, as appointed at the discretion of the Chancellor of the Judiciary, when matters are taken to court, “One Judge will see the parties in relation to all the issues and affairs: from start to finish…One Judge will deal with everything.”The new facility will handle cases of custody, maintenance, neglect of children, domestic violence and juvenile matters.While some of these matters are currently being heard before High Court Judges,Cheap Jerseys Online, some are currently being brought before Magistrates in the lower courts. The Family Court is set to replace these practices.The transition from the old system to this one was explained by Justice Reynolds. He explained that there will be a three-tiered structure employed in the transition process. “Matters which have already begun will continue to be dealt with by the old rules. Matters which are filed after the promulgation of these new rules will be governed by these new rules,” explained Justice Reynolds.The High Court Judge went on to explain that the third tier encompasses the issue of matters already filed but have not been set down for trial for three years. He said that in this instance, litigants (persons who file matters/register complaints) have an option of filing for a request for direction hearing so as to bring their matters under the new regime.“Also, by operation of law, where matters would have fallen into disrepair where a litigant has failed to take some procedural step within the time required being six months then the registry, the High Court Registrar is allowed to move those existing matters under the new procedural rules,” Justice Reynolds clarified. (Sunita Samaroo) |
