Chief Justice Ivor Archie Tuesday announced that he would retire as head of the judiciary on Wednesday, a few weeks after first hinting at the decision to do so.
In a three paragraph statement in which he reminded the country that during his address to the opening of the 2025-26 Law Term in September, he had indicated ‘that my departure from the Judiciary was imminent’, Archie said that the time had come.
Justice Ivor Archie (File Photo)
‘I wish to advise that that time has arrived and today I indicated to the Acting President that I will retire on October 22 2025.
‘Trinidad and Tobago has been good to me and I hope that I have been equally good to my country. It has been an honour to serve. I wish my successor every success in the period ahead. May God guide his or her path as this new endeavour is commenced,’ Archie wrote.
Last month, Archie, the country’s longest-serving Chief Justice after more than 17 years at the helm of the Judiciary, did not reveal the exact date that he would demit office, but indicated that he would not be around when the new law erm is observed once again next year.
‘I have decided to retire, not resign, at a time of my own choosing and not to wait until I reach the age of 70. There will always be unfinished business no matter when I leave, but I have decided to retire during this term, so this will be my last speech,’ he told the opening of the law term.
He said he chose the occasion to publicly announce his decision so he can assist in ensuring the smooth transition of his eventual successor, once that person is selected.
Under Section 102 of the Constitution, the Chief Justice is selected by the President after consultations with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
‘The office of Chief Justice is not private property or something you own or cling to; it is a sacred baton held in trust for one’s successors and the nation. I am but a single runner in a never-ending relay, and the baton must be passed at some time,’ Archie said last month.
In his address he had thanked his judicial colleagues for their support lamenting over the inability of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission’s (JLSC), which he chairs, to properly manage a small minority of colleagues who commit minor transgressions, such as delayed judgments or inappropriate media engagement with the media.
”Short of impeachment, the Chief Justice and the JLSC have no means of sanction other than to write or have a conversation in the hope that mature reflection would bring about behavioural change,’ he said.