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31 1995

COURTS AND COURT OFFICERS ACT, 1995

PART VII

Qualification of Judges

Amendment of section 5 of Act of 1961.

28. —Subsection (2) of section 5 of the Act of 1961 is hereby amended by the insertion of the following paragraphs:

“(c) For the purposes of paragraph (a) of this subsection, service as a judge of the Court of Justice, a judge of the Court of First Instance attached thereto or as an Advocate-General of the Court of Justice shall be deemed practice at the Bar.

(d) A judge of the Court of Justice, a judge of the Court of First Instance attached thereto or an Advocate-General of the Court of Justice shall on vacating any of those offices be qualified for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court: provided he or she has been a practising barrister of not less than 12 years standing by virtue of paragraph (c) of this subsection or otherwise.

(e) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection, a judge of the Circuit Court of four years standing shall be qualified for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court.”.

Amendment of section 14 of Courts of Justice Act, 1936.

29. — Section 14 (1) of the Courts of Justice Act, 1936 , is hereby amended by the insertion of “or practising solicitors” after “barristers”.

Amendment of section 17 of Act of 1961.

30. —The Act of 1961 is hereby amended by—

(a) the insertion in section 17 (2) (a) of “or a practising solicitor” after “barrister”, and

(b) the insertion in section 17 (2) of the following paragraph:

“(c) For the purposes of paragraph (a) of this subsection, service, in the case of a solicitor, as a judge of the District Court shall be deemed to be practice as a solicitor.”.

Amendment of section 2 of Courts Act, 1973.

31. —Section 2 (1) and section 2 (2) of the Courts Act, 1973 , are hereby amended by the insertion of “or practice as a solicitor” after “Bar” in each place where it occurs.