Supreme Court of St Helena
The Supreme Court of St Helena together with the St Helena Court of Appeal are the Senior Courts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.[2][3]
| Supreme Court of St Helena | |
|---|---|
 St Helena Courthouse in 2021 | |
| 15°55′29.9″S 5°43′04.8″W | |
| Jurisdiction | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha |
| Location | Jamestown, Saint Helena |
| Coordinates | 15°55′29.9″S 5°43′04.8″W |
| Appeals to | St Helena Court of Appeal |
| Chief Justice | |
| Currently | Charles Ekins[1] |
 |
|---|
The Supreme Court of St Helena was first established in 1839[4]
Article 82(3) of the Constitution of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha provides that "the Supreme Court shall possess and may exercise all the jurisdiction which is vested in, or is capable of being exercised by, His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England."[5]
It is one of four judicial courts that exist in Saint Helena, the other three being the Court of Appeal, the Magistrates Court and the Juvenile Court. Saint Helena is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and follows English law in place prior to 2006, as well as legislation from the local legislature.[6]
Chief justices
The Chief Justice and other judges are appointed by letters patent on the recommendation of the Governor.
- 1836-1863: William Wilde (1st Chief Justice)[7]
- 1863-1867: William Robert Phelps[7]
- 1867: John Norcross Firmin (acting)[7]
- 1868–1870: Joseph Stone Williams[7][8]
- c.1874–1875: William Alexander Parker[9] (afterwards Chief Justice of British Honduras, 1875)
- c.1924: Wilberforce John James Arnold (acting)
- 1959: Lionel Brett[10]
- 1983–1992: Sir John Farley Spry[11]
- 1992–2006: Geoffrey William Martin[12]
- 2007–2021: Charles Wareing Ekins[13]
- 2022– : Rupert Jones[14]
References
- Desk, Web (20 February 2017). "SUPREME COURT NOW IN SESSION". Saint Helena News Express.
- "The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009".
- "The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009".
- Smallman, David. Quincentenary: A Story of St Helena, 1502–2002.
- "The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009".
- "General Introduction to Legislation".
- van Niekerk, JP (2009). "THE ROLE OF THE VICE-ADMIRALTY COURT AT ST HELENA IN THE ABOLITION OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION (PART 1)". Fundamina. 15 (1).
- "Page:Men-at-the-Bar.djvu/545 – Wikisource, the free online library". en.wikisource.org.
- "No. 24064". The London Gazette. 10 February 1874. p. 591.
- "Saint Helena-Prison Island". Napoleon.org. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- "Spry, Sir John Farley (1910–1999) Knight" (PDF). Middle East Centre, St Antony’s College. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- "JUDGE GEOFFREY WILLIAM MARTIN OBE (G46-54)" (PDF). Society of Old Framlintonians. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- "Fifth Anniversary for Chief Justice". South Atlantic Media Services, Ltd. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- "New Chief Justice Appointed". St Helena Government. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
External links