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
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Its name wa ...
.
The Supreme Court of St Helena was first established in 1839
Article 82(3) of the Constitution of
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Its name wa ...
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."
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
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and follows
English law in place prior to 2006, as well as legislation from the local legislature.
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)
*1863-1867: William Robert Phelps
*1867: John Norcross Firmin (acting)
*1868–1870: Joseph Stone Williams
*c.1874–1875: William Alexander Parker (afterwards
Chief Justice of British Honduras, 1875)
*c.1924: Wilberforce John James Arnold ''(acting)''
*1959:
Lionel Brett
*1983–1992: Sir
John Farley Spry
*1992–2006: Geoffrey William Martin
*2007–2021: Charles Wareing Ekins
*2022– : Rupert Jones
See also
*
St Helena Magistrates' Court
*
Saint Helena Police Service
The Royal Saint Helena Police Service, formerly the Saint Helena Police Service, is the local police force for the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, consisting of the South Atlantic islands of Saint ...
References
External links
Criminal courts on the official government website
Supreme Court
Supreme Court
Law of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
British Overseas Territories courts
1839 establishments in the British Empire
1839 establishments in Africa
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