Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, May 09, 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
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×