Judicial Appointments on the cards for Guyana

In a previous highlight discussing the speech of the Chancellor at Law Year 2026, we mentioned that she made the announcement that we could expect new judicial appointments by the end of Q2 2026.

In her speech the Chancellor mentioned that the Judiciary would be seeking to add to its numbers in the following positions and amounts, 5 High Court Judges, 5 Commissioners of Title (Land Court Judges) and 7 Magistrates. These positions were advertised on 20 December 2025.

From sources in the profession, it appears that most if not all the appointments have been finalized and the appointees notified. The notices of advertisement of three high level vacancies at the Deeds and Judicial Registry have fueled speculation that announcements of Judicial appointments will be made soon.

On a comparative note, we highlighted the fact that the former Chancellor decided against early retirement and took up a position as Chief Justice of Turks and Caicos Islands.

With the judicial appointment process not yet concluded in Guyana, we thought it would be useful to look at the concluded TCI process. The process was started on 16 January 2026, with a vacancy notice on Facebook, their local press and Caribbean jobsites. The application period ended on 15 February 2026. An appointment was made just 46 days later on 2 April 2026, it should be noted that only one vacancy was being considered by TCI.

With Guyana’s history of judicial backlogs and the current backlog with land court applications, it is imperative that the appointees move into their judicial offices as soon as practicable, given any possible physical constraints to the appointments. The Judiciary has an important role in ensuring the wheels of commerce keep rolling.