Justice Marva McDonald Bishop to become first female Appeal Court President

Jamaica is to have its first female President of the Court of Appeal when its present president Patrick Brooks goes on retirement tomorrow.

It is reported that Justice Marva McDonald Bishop, who has acted in the top post before, is his successor.

She was a prosecutor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions until she was appointed to the Supreme Court Bench.

She was appointed to the Appeal Court in September 2015.

McDonald Bishop is described by fellow judges and members of the legal profession as a competent judge and one who is blessed with a brilliant mind, very fair, and whose judgments are sound and well-reasoned.

Retired Court of Appeal Judge Seymour Panton, in giving his support to her, recently described her as a great scholar, hardworking, and one who will ensure that excellent judgments come from the appellate court.

Attorney-at-law Michael Hemmings, who is the President of the Cornwall Bar Association, described her as a “brilliant judge” who would do well as president of the Court of Appeal.

Brooks was appointed President of the Court of Appeal in December 2020.

- Barbara Gayle

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