Judicial and Legal Services Commission

(1) There shall be established for Belize a Judicial and (2) The members of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission shall be appointed by the Governor-General and shall consist of, (a) the Chief Justice, who shall be a member and Chairperson; (b) the Chairperson of the Public Service (c) the Solicitor General; (d) the President of the Bar Association of (3) Subject to subsection (2) of this section, no person shall be qualified to be appointed as a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission if he is a member of the National Assembly, or if he holds or is acting in any public office. (4) Subject to subsection (2) of this section, a person shall not, while he holds or is acting in the office of a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission or within a period of two years commencing from the date on which he last held or acted in that office, be eligible for appointment to any public (5) Subject to the provisions of this section, the office of a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission shall become vacant, 135 (a) at the expiration of three years from the date of his appointment or such earlier time, being not less than one year, as may be specified in the instrument by which he was appointed; or (b) if any circumstances arise that, if he were not a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, would cause him to be disqualified for appointment as such. (6) A member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission may be removed from office only for inability to perform the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or from any other cause) or for misbehaviour, and shall not be so removed except in accordance with the provisions of this section. (7) A member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission shall be removed from office by the Governor- General if the question of the removal of that member from office has been referred to the Belize Advisory Council in accordance with the next following subsection and the Belize Advisory Council has advised the Governor- General that that member ought to be removed from office for inability as aforesaid or for misbehaviour. (8) If the Prime Minister represents to the Governor- General that the question of removing a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission under this section ought to be investigated, then, (a) the Governor-General shall refer the matter to the Belize Advisory Council which shall sit as a tribunal in the manner provided in section 54 of this Constitution; and (b) the Belize Advisory Council shall enquire into the matter and report on the facts thereof to the whether that 136 member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission should be removed under this (9) If the question of removing a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission from office has been referred to the Belize Advisory Council under the preceding subsection, the Governor-General may suspend the member from performing the functions of his office, and any such suspension may at any time be revoked by the Governor-General and shall in any case cease to have effect if the Belize Advisory Council advises the Governor-General that the member should not be removed from office. (10) If the office of a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission is vacant or a member is for any reason unable to perform the functions of his office, the Governor- General may appoint a person who is qualified for appointment as a member of that Commission to act as a member of the Commission, and any person so appointed shall, subject to the provisions of subsections (6), (7), (8) and (9) of this section, continue to act until he is notified by the Governor-General that the circumstances giving rise to the appointment have ceased to exist. (11) A member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission shall not enter upon the duties of his office unless he has taken and subscribed the oath of allegiance and office. (12) The Judicial and Legal Services Commission shall, in the exercise of its functions under this Constitution, not be subject to the direction or control of any other person or (13) The Judicial and Legal Services Commission may by regulations make provision for regulating and facilitating the performance of its functions under this Constitution. 137 (14) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Judicial and Legal Services Commission may regulate its own (15) Any decision of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission shall require the concurrence of a majority of all the members thereof and, subject to its rules of procedure, the and may act notwithstanding the absence of any member other than the Chairperson, Provided that in any matter before the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, where the votes are equally divided, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote in addition to his original vote.