Newly appointed CJ Dies At 63

video
play-sharp-fill
01:59

Two weeks to the date after being officially sworn in as the country’s Chief Justice, Stephen Isaacs passed away at 11 a.m. Friday at Doctor’s Hospital.

Isaacs was 63-years-old.

The new Chief Justice was sworn in on August 10th at Mount Fitzwilliam at Government House and was hailed by Attorney General Carl Bethel as the perfect man for the job.

Cabinet office released a statement Friday afternoon lauding Isaacs as the epitome of the highest standards of conduct that can be found in a judicial officer.

Government extended its sincere condolences to Isaacs’ family and colleagues.

Acting Chief Justice Vera Watkins was sworn in on Wednesday.

Government has given no indication on who the new Chief Justice will be.

The Cabinet Office statement follows:

It is with profound regret that we confirm the passing of the Chief Justice, the Honourable Stephen Gerard Isaacs, this morning at 11:00 a.m. at Doctors Hospital, Nassau, Bahamas.

Called to the Bahamas Bar in 1982, Chief Justice Isaacs commenced his judicial career in 1994 when he was appointed Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court. During an illustrious career, Chief Justice Isaacs served also as Registrar of the Court of Appeal, and on the Industrial Tribunal, before being appointed to the Higher Judiciary as a Supreme Court Justice in September, 2002, when he assumed office as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court and was stationed in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Subsequently, in 2015 he was promoted to the rank of Senior Justice of the Supreme Court, and in December 2017 was appointed Acting Chief Justice. He was confirmed to the substantive post of Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, by Her Excellency the Governor General, effective the 9thday of July 2018.

Chief Justice Isaacs throughout his career was universally lauded as being a “judge’s judge”; of being, in all things, the epitome of the highest standard of conduct of a judicial officer; and for upholding the Rule of Law, justice, order and proper decorum in his courtroom.

The Government extends its sincere condolences to his children, extended family, colleagues, and friends.

 

About Theo Sealy

Theo Sealy is an award-winning journalist who serves as senior broadcast reporter and weekend TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. He has achieved several career milestones, including his work as a field contributor with CNN, his coverage of four consecutive general elections, his production of several docuseries and his Bahamas Press Club Awards win for “Best Television News Story” in 2018.