Chuck renews call for Jamaica to settle final court question in republic talks

Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Delroy Chuck has again pressed lawmakers to resume Jamaica's constitutional reform process, saying the country should move ahead with removing the British monarch while also taking the final court issue back to the public.

Speaking in Parliament during the sectoral debate, Chuck referred to the Constitution Amendment Republic Bill 2024, which he said had already been tabled to end the monarchy's role. He urged Parliament to examine the bill, amend it where needed, and debate it as soon as possible.

“We need to become a republic. There is no need to delay this process,” Chuck said.

The minister also made clear that the final appellate court question remains unresolved. Jamaica's last court of appeal is still the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom, although the country is already connected to the Caribbean Court of Justice through its original jurisdiction.

Chuck said a Jamaican final court could take different forms, including a model similar to Hong Kong's, where local and international judges sit together. He said he would not object to Caribbean Court of Justice judges sitting in Jamaica, but argued that the institution must be a Jamaican final court. He also said the matter should be discussed further in constitutional town hall meetings.

Attorney Lloyd McFarland criticised the Government's position and said Jamaica should have left the Privy Council long ago and joined the appellate jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice. He argued that Jamaica has already invested in the CCJ, that the court has performed well, and that the country does not currently have the resources to properly maintain a separate final appellate court.

Attorney Abel Don Foote took the opposite view, saying he supports retaining the Privy Council. He described it as a body of senior judges far removed from local pressures and said that distance helps protect impartiality. He argued that Jamaica should not abandon a system he believes is working.

The discussion comes as the push toward republic status remains politically contested, with disagreement continuing over whether replacing the monarch should be tied to replacing the Privy Council.