lJustice Westmin James gave Barbadians one of the most substantial judicial rulings in recent times and it has occurred as he is on his way back to his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago, where he has been offered a seat on the bench in the twin-island republic.The distinguished High Court Judge was only appointed in December 2022 along with Justices Wanda Blair and Anthony L. Blackman and were described by Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham as “excellent appointments” who were “seasoned in the law”.Justice James’ ruling this week that threw out as “unconstitutional” the prohibition in the state’s General Orders that barred public servants from participating in active politics, has been welcomed.Most people believe any commonsense bar on our public officers participating in politics should be imposed judiciously and should be dependent on the role of the officer and how their involvement in party politics might erode public confidence in the office holder and the office.From a layman’s perspective, it would be a farce, for example, if the Chief Electoral Officer, a senior officer in the Barbados Police Service, the Director of Public Prosecutions, or the Chief Personnel Officer were to take to a political platform lambasting the other political party.
