Justice Bruce-Lyle threatens contempt action against popular talk show caller

A popular radio caller who goes by the alias ‘Mr. Constitution’ better get his facts straight when next he calls into a radio talk show or he may face a charge of contempt of court.{{more}}

High Court Judge Frederick Bruce-Lyle issued a warning to ‘Mr. Constitution’ on the We Fm’s Morning Show hosted by Ernesto Cooke last Tuesday, August 4th, 2009.

“Mr. Cooke, this is a warning to Mr. Constitution, this is Justice Bruce Lyle. If he continues, I will cite him for contempt,” said Justice Bruce-Lyle sternly.

Just minutes prior to the judge’s call, Mr. Constitution, who reportedly hails from Belmont, said he was calling to “clear a matter”. He wanted to know if someone had not visited a doctor, how can that doctor prove the person is well or sick. Likewise, if an individual never had to face a judge with a matter, how can the judge say something good or bad.

“How could a judge say I bad or good in constitution? Eh? That could be fair? Eh? I just want to show you and show my fans them, if somebody files something in front a judge with me Constitution and the judge claims certain things, if I right I will go a bit further and if I feel I am wrong I would stop. But ah never reach in front of a judge, me and judge never discuss constitution with nobody or nothing at all, but you are saying I good or I bad,” said Mr. Constitution.

It is believed that the caller was making a direct reference to Justice Bruce-Lyle’s Monday, July 27th, 2009, comments when he brought the May-July sitting of the Criminal Assizes to a close with a warning to Mr. Constitution to “stop the falsities that you are perpetrating on the radio because you know nothing about constitutions, nothing”.

The judge was also incensed by a caller’s comments which implied that judges are being bribed.

As early as Sunday, July 26th, 2009, some statements that Mr. Constitution had made on the We Fm’s ‘Issue At Hand’ programme hosted by Marlon Stephenson and Cecil Ryan on the matter of selection of judges seem to have annoyed Justice Bruce-Lyle.

“I have been lying here in bed listening to your programme and I can’t help but pick up the phone and correct certain misconceptions that are being posited by the last caller.

“Politicians or the Heads of Government are only involved in the selection of the Chief Justice. The last caller is trying to put forward this whole thing, the whole involvement of the Prime Ministers as being in the selection of all judges. That is not so. The Prime Ministers are only involved in the selection of the Chief Justice,” said Justice Bruce-Lyle, explaining that in the current voting system there must be unanimity, where all the Heads of Government have to agree that one person be the Chief Justice.

“They themselves, the Heads, have realized a unanimity rule poses a lot of problems, so in the selection of the last Chief Justice…Hugh Rollins was appointed by consensus,” said Justice Bruce-Lyle.

Justice Bruce-Lyle, who hails from Ghana, said in selection of Appeal Court Judges and High Court Judges, “Heads of Government have nothing at all to do with it”.

He said he can make this bold pronouncement because he is a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission of the OECS.

Justice Bruce-Lyle disclosed that in the earlier part of July he attended a meeting in St. Lucia where he was a part of the group that selected five new High Court Judges.

“None of the Heads of Government know who these five judges are. Only the members of the commission know…the Heads of Government had no involvement, no input, they did not influence anybody and I can say for sure that our Prime Minister here Dr. Ralph Gonsalves did not even know who are the judges that were going to be appointed,” said Justice Bruce-Lyle.

Justice Bruce-Lyle stated, at the time that he was getting very disturbed by the misconceptions that are being put forward on radio by persons like Mr. Constitution “and persons who should know better including members of the legal profession who sit down and allow these misconceptions to fester”.

The esteemed judge expressed that he felt it was his duty as a member of the Commission to set the record straight.

“This is my two cents contribution because we are destroying our judiciary. We are destroying our institutions by the conceptions and falsities that are perpetrated on the airwaves and I cannot sit down and do nothing about it,” said Justice Bruce-Lyle.