By LEANDRA ROLLE 

Tribune Chief Reporter 

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SIR Michael Barnett officially retired as Court of Appeal president yesterday, with Justice Jon Isaacs set to replace him.

Government officials, lawyers and judicial officers, including current and retired judges, gathered at the British Colonial hotel to bid farewell to the outgoing Court of Appeal president and former chief justice during a special sitting.

Sir Michael will become the country’s new law reform commissioner, leading efforts to review and reform laws in the Bahamas.

“I am and will always be a judge at heart,” he said during the ceremony. “My telephone number will not change. You can always call to discuss issues, confident that by doing so, I will no longer be forced to recuse myself.”

Sir Michael has worn many hats throughout his career, from serving as attorney general in the Ingraham administration in 2008 to becoming chief justice in 2009 until 2015 and later a Court of Appeal judge. He was sworn in as president of the Court of Appeal in 2020.

Yesterday, Sir Michael admitted to demitting office with “mixed feelings”, but thanked his family, friends and colleagues for their support throughout his tenure and said he owed a debt of gratitude to all the country’s prime ministers.

“It was my privilege to serve as the chief justice and president of the Court of Appeal of this land that I love,” he said. “Over the past 15 years, with the talents God gave me, I strived to do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of The Bahamas without fear, favour, affection or ill will.”

As for his advice for his judicial colleagues, Sir Michael said: “You are the cornerstone for ensuring that the preservation of our freedoms is guaranteed by an abiding respect for the rule of law.”

He reminded them of their responsibility to ensure each person’s right to a fair trial within  a reasonable time and urged judges not to “be the cause of the violation of those rights and freedoms.”

Regarding members of the Bahamas Bar Association, Sir Michael encouraged senior attorneys to interact more, saying he’s noticed a significant decrease in seasoned lawyers attending the opening of the legal year or engaging in debates on public issues.

“I urge senior lawyers to recall their early days as lawyers and the benefits that they’ve received from interacting with senior lawyers,” he said. “Do not deprive the Bar and the country of your leadership. There are many brilliant young lawyers at the Bar. They want to become great lawyers. They need your leadership and your congeniality.”

Sir Michael congratulated his successor, Justice Isaacs, expressing confidence that he would be a great leader “who would make an impact.”

Before he was appointed chief justice, Sir Michael also served as acting stipendiary and circuit magistrate (1985–1988).

A former president of the Bahamas Bar Association (1989–1991), Sir Michael has also served that organisation as registrar of examinations and examiner, law of civil procedures.