One judge, one master for Tobago

ONE judge and one master of the High Court will be assigned to the new Family Court in Tobago, according to the Judiciary.

In an e-mailed response to questions sent by Newsday, the Judiciary’s court protocol and information manager Carl Francis said the new court is expected to be formally opened in the new law term.

The term opens in September but he did not provide an exact date for the court’s opening.

He said the court will be based at Calder Hall Road, Scarborough and one judge and one master are to be assigned there.

As for the duration of the judge’s posting to Tobago, Francis said, “As all judicial assignments, this is a matter for the discretion of the Chief Justice.”

Francis also said positions for the administration staff are being filled from applications received for the Family Court Division, Tobago, and a preliminary structure has been developed to support the operations of the course. Staffing will be phased, he added.

The issue of staffing and the opening of the court were raised by Justice Carol Gobin, who has challenged Chief Justice Ivor Archie’s proposal to transfer her to the Tobago Family Court from September 16.

She voiced her displeasure at the proposed transfer in an e-mailed letter to him and other judges on Friday.

On Monday, Archie responded, telling her as a judge of the High Court, she “should expect to be assigned to adjudicate anywhere.”

Gobin replied, again by-email, on Monday, telling the CJ she was not aware of the proposed roll-out of the court in Tobago in September, and there was no record of any communication to judges on it.