Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Roxane George has instructed the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Judicature to launch a significant backlog-reduction effort aimed at clearing over 2,000 appeals and applications filed between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2024.
In a recent press release, the Court acknowledged the frustrations expressed by litigants and attorneys regarding the lengthy delays in resolving these matters. This initiative reflects a robust commitment to ensuring the timely, fair, and transparent administration of justice.
To facilitate this process, the Court of Appeal has been divided into three panels, with each panel assigned 70 cases, totaling 210 appeals. Each panel will address:
21 civil appeals
20 criminal appeals
29 applications for leave to appeal and for extensions of time
Hearings for civil appeals will commence on February 10, 12, and 13, 2026, starting at 9:30 AM each day. The applications for leave to appeal and extensions will pertain to those filed between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2025, with no pending applications prior to 2021. Applications submitted in 2026 will be processed on a rolling basis to maintain timely hearings. In addition, panels will receive more recently filed appeals to prevent future backlogs.
The Court emphasized that this exercise will be court-driven and adhere to strong case-management principles, ensuring no matter returns to the registry without being addressed. Attorneys and litigants are expected to be fully prepared for their hearings.
Notices of hearing will be sent to the addresses on record for litigants and their attorneys. Additionally, information will be published in newspapers, on the Court’s website under “Hearing Lists,” and on its official Facebook page.
