Michelle Agnes Arana (born 1969) is a

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

who served as acting

Chief Justice of Belize The chief justice of Belize is the head of the Supreme Court of Belize. Under Chapter 7 of the Constitution of Belize, the chief justice is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the prime minister. Since the retirement of Kenneth ...

from 7 April 2020 to 2 September 2022. She was appointed the first female justice of the

Supreme Court of Belize The Supreme Court of Judicature of Belize is one of three types of courts in Belize, the lower ones being the Magistrate's Courts and the Court of Appeal. It is a court of original jurisdiction in both civil and criminal cases as well as an app ...

in 2006.

Early life

Michelle Agnes Arana was born in 1969 in

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

. She completed a bachelor's degree in English at

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

, then went on to study at the

Norman Manley Law School The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica. Building and location The Norman Manley Law School is located on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, yet it is a distinct and separate institution. Its building, design ...

of the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

, finishing in 1994. She earned an LLM degree in

Commercial Law Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of Legal person, persons and organizations ...

from

Birmingham University The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

in 2004, and was named the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

's Alumna of the Year in 2006.

Career

In 2006 Michelle Arana was appointed to be a Justice of the

. She was the Court's first female Justice. Before her appointment as a Justice, Arana was Registrar General and Registrar of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal of

. In 1998 she was appointed to serve on Belize's National Women's Commission. After Kenneth Benjamin retired as

in March 2020, Arana was named acting Chief Justice. She was officially sworn in on 7 April. She served until

Louise Blenman Louise Esther Blenman is a former Appellate Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and the current Chief Justice of Belize. She is the first woman to ever be appointed to the post. On 22 November 2022, she was sworn in as the first Chief ...

was sworn in as the new Chief Justice on 2 September 2022, then transferred to the Court of Appeal. Arana was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to the field of law and public service.

References

1969 births Alumni of the University of Birmingham Living people 21st-century women judges Belizean women People from Belize City Supreme Court of Belize justices Belizean lawyers Ball State University alumni Officers of the Order of the British Empire University of the West Indies alumni Women chief justices {{Belize-bio-stub