Today's Supreme Court hearing involves two murders
but the procedural calm helps to alleviate
tension. The usher has made sure that families with opposing interests are
seated apart. A man next to me drops off for a while, snoring gently. This is
not fair on counsel who are firing on all cylinders. Tip to counsel: I wouldn't refer to the bench
constantly as 'my lords'. At one point Lady Hale makes emphatic use of a
stapler.
Hoods in the public seats |
If a potential death penalty had been involved I wouldn't be here, but I checked the case details on the court's website beforehand. I'd been startled when I discovered that the JCPC hears appeals from jurisdictions which carry out capital punishment - as does Jamaica - although the court would never sanction such a penalty.
Four Supreme Court justices are
accompanied today by the Lord Chief Justice, marking
the significance of these criminal appeals.
The Supreme Court flag is joined by
the Jamaican flag. As a spotter, I wonder if the
oval JCPC rug with the royal crest (Honi soit qui mal y pense) has been moved to
court 1 - the largest court, being used for today's packed-out hearing - from
court 3 where it normally lies. The answer is no, because another JCPC case
is being heard today in court 3. (The role of the JCPC is technically to advise
the monarch, hence the crest. And the mysteries of the Privy Council are
explained in a new book: By
Royal Appointment: Tales from the Privy Council.)
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