by Nisha Paul

• Guyanese-born Justice Paula Gilford is Grenada’s longest-serving judge
• Jamaican Justice Akilah Anderson brings more than 2 decades of experience in legal profession
• September Assizes has 85 matters on the Cause List, including longstanding criminal cases

For 13 years, Justice Paula Gilford sat in judgment over some of Grenada’s most difficult cases.

On Monday, 14 September, as she prepared to leave the Grenadian bench, the tributes came not only for the thousands of judgments she delivered and the hundreds of trials she presided over, but for what colleagues say her tenure represented for the administration of justice.

“Judges have to be mindful of maintaining confidence in the criminal justice system by the sentences they impose,” Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Howard Pinnock told her during a special sitting of the St George’s High Court. “And I say, my lady, without fear of no objection, that you have restored confidence in the criminal justice system in Grenada. That is one of your monuments.”

The words captured the significance of Gilford’s 13-year tenure, during which the Guyanese-born jurist became Grenada’s longest-serving judge.

Her courtroom work covered a broad range of criminal and civil matters, placing her at the centre of the country’s justice system for more than a decade.

For criminal defence attorney Jerry Edwin, Gilford’s approach was defined by a firm adherence to the law. He described her as having a “stern observance to the law” and pointed to the sentences she imposed on offenders. “She has meted out sentences that caused fear in the minds of many offenders.” But he also acknowledged another side of her judicial reputation. “She has a reputation for, yes, fairness,” Edwin said, before adding of her sentencing approach: “She would throw the book at you.”

Monday’s special sitting marked both an ending and a beginning for Grenada’s judiciary, with the legal fraternity bidding farewell to Gilford while welcoming Justice Akilah Anderson to the High Court.

Anderson, a Jamaican national, brings more than 2 decades of experience in the legal profession, with a career spanning environmental, criminal, constitutional and administrative law. She succeeds Gilford at the St George’s No. 1 High Court, taking up the post at a time when Grenada’s courts continue to carry a significant workload.

The September Assizes is scheduled to open soon with 85 matters on the Cause List, including several longstanding criminal cases.

Criminal defence attorney George Prime said Anderson faces a substantial challenge as she steps into the role. “The new judge has an uphill battle to now step into the shoes of Justice Gilford, who, in my humble view, has done a tremendous job.”

Gilford is expected to take up office in St Kitts and Nevis on 21 September, where she previously served for a brief period earlier in her legal career.

For Gilford, her farewell was also an opportunity to reflect on what it means to sit in judgment over the lives of others. “Every case represents real people facing real challenges, anxieties and hope.” She said judicial office carries “a profound responsibility to listen carefully, remain impartial and always strive to ensure that justice is administered fairly and without fear or favour.” Gilford also underscored the importance of an independent judiciary in maintaining public confidence in democratic institutions.

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