COLOURS CARIBBEAN RESISTS REVIEW OF CIVIL PARTNERSHIP LAW

The regional rights organisation Colours Caribbean, though its local arm Colors Cayman, reports that it has “has taken steps to join as an interested party” in the judicial review brought by Kattina Anglin against the Governor.

Anglin, of the Christian Association for Civics (CAC), is challenging Governor Martyn Roper’s recourse to Section 81 of the constitution to bypass parliament and unilaterally enact the Civil Partnership law.

Colours Caribbean which has engaged McGrath Tonner as local counsel and Travers Smith as London counsel says they are prepared to go as far as seeking to have the hearing adjourned if their demands are not met.

The organisation also says: “We’ve also asked the Governor directly at a meeting held in January that the Attorney General’s Chambers be removed from representing the Governor in this matter, given the clear conflict of interest following the Attorney General’s Chambers having historically fighting tooth and nail against equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ of the Cayman Islands.”

Colours Caribbean says it has also requested that the Attorney General’s Chambers is replaced by a Queen’s Counsel from London to handle the matter given its "seriousness and the constitutional and conventional implication".

“We understand that Tom Hickman QC of Blackstone Chambers has been instructed to represent the Governor,” it says.

Meanwhile, the organisation which champions LGBTQ+ rights, says it also wants the presiding judge, Justice Williams, removed from the hearing on the basis that his “impartiality remains compromised”.

Colours Caribbean says it remains unconvinced by correspondence it received from Attorney General Samuel Bulgin.

It is questioning what it alleges is “the secrecy” surrounding the decision of the Grand Court last November to agree to the judicial review, which only became public two months later.

"The Attorney General has indicated that the Chief Justice is undertaking an independent review by the engagement of an independent Queen’s Counsel on this matter,” it says.

However, Colours Caribbean insists that irrespective of this independent review, which it says it welcomes Justice William’s impartiality remains compromised and that issue still needs to be addressed.

“Colours Caribbean respectfully requests that the Chief Justice, in light of the independent review he is undertaking, would also request, in the interest of justice, that Justice Williams step down from hearing this case pending the review,” the statement concludes.