Chief Justice, Sir Ian Winder was asked about the case backlog in the court system outside of the House of Assembly on Thursday.

Winder spoke positively about the likely positive effect of recent changes to the Supreme Court Act including changes made to case management rules.  He said, “those rules will give the judge complete control of the case, will require defense statements so everyone will know what the issues are with the case. It will provide for quicker settlements because all the issues are out on the table.  Gone will be the days when you only know what the defense is after the case is closed and the defendant starts his case.”

The Chief Justice also commented on recently passed Trial By Judge Alone legislation which allows an accused person the option of a bench trial.  “The law that provides for a defendant to choose a non jury trial, I think that will have considerable impact on the way criminal cases are processed. So I’m extremely optimistic that in the days and months and years ahead  we’ll see considerable changes,” Winder said.