View source for Supreme Court of St Helena

{{Short description|Supreme Court in Jamestown, Saint Helena}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox court
|court_name       = Supreme Court of St Helena
|image            = St Helena Courthouse.jpg
|imagesize        = 
|caption          = St Helena Courthouse in 2021
|jurisdiction     = [[Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]]
|appealsto        = St Helena Court of Appeal
|location         = [[Jamestown, Saint Helena]]
|coordinates      =  {{coord|15|55|29.9|S|5|43|04.8|W|format=dms|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
|chiefjudgetitle  = Chief Justice
|chiefjudgename   = Rupert Jones<ref name="Rupert">{{Cite web |date=2021-12-01 |title=New Chief Justice Appointed |url=https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/2021/news/new-chief-justice-appointed/ |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=St Helena Government |language=en-US}}</ref>
}}

{{Politics of Saint Helena}}

The '''Supreme Court of St Helena''' together with the St Helena Court of Appeal are the Senior Courts of the [[British Overseas Territory]] of [[Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/1751/schedule/paragraph/153/made|title=The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/1751/schedule/paragraph/218/made|title=The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009}}</ref>

The Supreme Court of St Helena was first established in 1839<ref>{{cite book|title=Quincentenary: A Story of St Helena, 1502–2002|first = David|last = Smallman}}</ref>

Article 82(3) of the Constitution of [[Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]] provides that "the Supreme Court shall possess and may exercise all the jurisdiction which is vested in, or is capable of being exercised by, [[His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/1751/schedule/part/2/chapter/6/crossheading/1/made|title=The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009}}</ref>

It is one of four [[Judiciary|judicial courts]] that exist in Saint Helena, the other three being the Court of Appeal, the [[St Helena Magistrates' Court|Magistrates' Court]] and the Juvenile Court. Saint Helena is an [[British overseas territory|overseas territory]] of the [[United Kingdom]] and follows [[English law]] in place prior to 2006, as well as legislation from the local legislature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/legislation/general-introduction/|title=General Introduction to Legislation}}</ref> Appeal from the territorial courts lies to the [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] in London.

== Chief justices ==
The Chief Justice and other judges are appointed by [[letters patent]] on the recommendation of the Governor.
*1836-1863: William Wilde (1st Chief Justice)<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=van Niekerk |first=JP |date=2009 |title=THE ROLE OF THE VICE-ADMIRALTY COURT AT ST HELENA IN THE ABOLITION OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION (PART 1) |url=https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC34354 |journal=Fundamina |volume=15 |issue=1}}</ref>
*1863-1867: William Robert Phelps<ref name=":0" />
*1867: John Norcross Firmin (acting)<ref name=":0" />
*1868–1870: Joseph Stone Williams<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Men-at-the-Bar.djvu/545|title=Page:Men-at-the-Bar.djvu/545 – Wikisource, the free online library|website=en.wikisource.org}}</ref>
*c.1874–1875: William Alexander Parker<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24064|page=591|date=10 February 1874}}</ref> (afterwards [[Chief Justice of British Honduras]], 1875)
*c.1924: Wilberforce John James Arnold ''(acting)''
*1959: [[Lionel Brett]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/saint-helena-prison-island/|title=Saint Helena-Prison Island|publisher=Napoleon.org|accessdate= 11 August 2016}}</ref>
*1983–1992: Sir [[John Farley Spry]]<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/mec/MEChandlists/GB165-0315-Sir-John-Spry-Collection.pdf|title=Spry, Sir John Farley (1910–1999) Knight|publisher=Middle East Centre, St Antony’s College|accessdate= 21 June 2016}}</ref>
*1992–2006: Geoffrey William Martin<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldframlinghamian.com/images/articles/JUDGEGEOFFREYWILLIAMMARTINOBEG46-54.pdf|title=JUDGE GEOFFREY WILLIAM MARTIN OBE (G46-54)|publisher= Society of Old Framlintonians|accessdate= 21 June 2016}}</ref>
*2007–2021: Charles Wareing Ekins<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sams.sh/L3_news_121123_judge_sworn_in.html|title=Fifth Anniversary for Chief Justice|publisher= South Atlantic Media Services, Ltd.|accessdate= 21 June 2016}}</ref>
*2022– : Rupert Jones<ref name="Rupert" />

==See also==
* [[St Helena Magistrates' Court]]
* [[Saint Helena Police Service]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070831001920/http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/other/legalsystem5_courts.htm Criminal courts on the official government website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071021074318/http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/constitution/constitution-part6_the_judicature.htm Part VI of the Constitution of St Helena]

[[Category:Organisations based in Saint Helena|Supreme Court]]
[[Category:Politics of Saint Helena|Supreme Court]]
[[Category:Law of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]]
[[Category:British Overseas Territories courts]]
[[Category:1839 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1839 establishments in Africa]]


{{SaintHelena-stub}}
{{Africa-law-stub}}