Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Too many exemptions and disqualifications for jurors — Fraser

Too many exemptions and disqualifications for jurors — Fraser

Opposition Leader Julian Fraser has suggested that there may be too many exemptions and disqualifications preventing persons from serving as jurors in trials before the High Court.

The Third District Representative’s statement came as legislators debated the provisions of the proposed Jury Act, 2022, and in the wake of concerns expressed in the courts and before the Commission of Inquiry (COI) that the current jury pool is too small.

Fraser argued that there are some 13,500 registered voters in the territory from which the current jury pool is drawn. He appeared perplexed that even with this number, there was difficulty in finding jurors for trials.

“When you look at the persons who are being exempt from serving as jurors, you start asking yourself the question, are they serious? Do they really want persons to serve with all these disqualification and exemptions?”

Among the disqualifications for persons serving on the jury pool that Fraser pointed to were persons who served a prison sentence of 12 months or more.

“You’re telling me that a person who has been convicted and served a 12-month sentence, in 2000, 1992 or whatever the case might be, has lost their eligibility to serve as a juror for life. They can’t serve today based on this bill. Once convicted, [they’re] always convicted, can’t serve as a juror,” Fraser said.

Bankruptcy treated as big crime


Persons who have been considered as having a ‘bad character’ as well as persons who have been bankrupt are also exempted from service as jurors, according to the current bill.

In the legislation, bad character referred to a person who has evidence of or a disposition towards misconduct. But Fraser complained that this was particularly subjective. “Something like that is so subjective, that you can just look at people and disqualify them and you don’t have to give any explanation. So no wonder they are having a problem [finding jurors],” Fraser said.

He also took aim at the bankruptcy clause.

“It’s just a person who somehow failed in their business. Why is bankruptcy being treated as such a big crime?” Fraser questioned. “[You] can’t run for public office if you’re bankrupt. Somebody need to explain to me what this stigma is all about when it comes to bankruptcy. Big corporations are filing for bankruptcy and they have a tonnes of employees.”

According to Fraser: “Before we (legislators) just look at this bill before us and approve it or pass it based on a request that is being made, we need to ensure the persons who are charged with the responsibility of creating the pool are exhausting the categories that are available to them.”

Fraser expressed concern that only registered voters appeared to be the category of persons being pursued to serve as jurors. He argued that if Belongers, a wider category of persons, don’t register to vote, they will never get called to serve as jurors.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×