New High Court judge sworn in

Legal scholar Herbert Patrick Wells has been sworn in as Barbados’ newest High Court judge.

In the presence of his family and Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham, Dr Wells was officially sworn into office by President Sandra Mason in a brief ceremony held at State House on Tuesday.

The new justice briefly told reporters: “I wish to say thanks to the Judicial Appointments Committee for having invited me for an interview and making a recommendation to the honourable prime minister for an appointment.

“I would just say very briefly that my singular goal is to serve the people of Barbados, to uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice in the best way that I can, and also to protect the constitutional rights of the citizens of this country. I look forward to a productive sojourn in service to the nation of Barbados.”   

Dr Wells has a bachelor’s degree in literature and history, a bachelor’s law degree, and masters degrees in international relations and sociology from the University of the West Indies, as well as a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Trade Law. 

He has been admitted to the Bar in Jamaica and the Canadian province of Ontario and has published in the West Indian Law Journal and the Caribbean Law Review. 

A senior tutor in the Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas Justice Wells scholarly research interest includes international human rights law; gender, sexuality and the law; transformative and comparative constitutionalism; and equality studies. He has also written on free speech and privacy law, and examined gender and sexuality legal issues in a Caribbean context. (SB)