Six new Puisne Judges were sworn in on Wednesday, bolstering the High Court bench even as Guyana continues to operate without substantively appointed holders of its two highest judicial offices—a situation that has persisted for nearly two decades and continues to raise concerns about judicial independence.
The judges—Sueanna Lovell, Mandisa Breedy, Christel Lambert-Meertins, Renita Camille Singh, Sunil Scarce and Azeena Baksh—were appointed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and took the oath of office before President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali at the Office of the President.
Lovell previously served as Registrar of the Supreme Court, Breedy is an attorney-at-law, Lambert-Meertins and Singh both served as Commissioners of Title, Scarce is a former Senior Magistrate, and Baksh previously held the office of Registrar of Deeds.
Addressing the ceremony, President Ali said the appointments form part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the judiciary’s capacity to meet growing public demand for timely access to justice.
He noted that the swearing-in follows the appointment of 10 Puisne Judges in June 2024 and reflects what he described as a deliberate effort to ensure the courts are adequately staffed.
The President reminded the judges that while the Executive facilitates their appointments in accordance with the Constitution, it has no role in directing how they exercise their judicial functions.
“You are now arbiters of right and wrong, guardians of fundamental freedoms, and interpreters of law,” President Ali said, urging the judges to carry out their duties with integrity, courage and impartiality.
He also encouraged the new appointees to help reduce the backlog of cases before the courts, noting that every matter concluded brings closure to litigants and strengthens public confidence in the justice system.
Puisne Judges serve in the High Court, where they preside over civil, criminal and commercial matters. Under Article 128(1) of the Constitution, they are appointed by the President acting on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission.
While the appointments increase the number of High Court judges, the country’s two most senior judicial offices remain substantively vacant.
Guyana has been without a substantive Chancellor of the Judiciary since 2005 and without a substantively appointed Chief Justice for almost two decades. The offices have instead been filled in an acting capacity because the Constitution requires agreement between the President and the Leader of the Opposition before substantive appointments can be made.
The prolonged reliance on acting appointments has been a recurring concern within legal and constitutional circles, with critics arguing that the failure to make substantive appointments undermines the institutional independence of the judiciary and leaves uncertainty at the apex of the country’s judicial system.
Successive administrations have pledged to resolve the issue, but no substantive appointments have been made.
