London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 10, 2025

BVI Parliamentary Speaker accuses British judge of judicial activism

BVI Parliamentary Speaker accuses British judge of judicial activism

House of Assembly Speaker, Hon Julian Willock has accused British Judge Adrian Jack of judicial activism over the awarding of court cost in the withdrawn Commission of Inquiry (CoI) injunction againt three CoI lawyers.

Hon Willock made the accusations under Announcements by the Speaker at today’s September 22, 2021, 12th Sitting of the 3rd Session of the 4th House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands (VI) held at the Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff’s Bottom, Tortola.

Hon Willock made the accusations under announcements by the speaker at today’s September 22, 2021, 12th Sitting of the 3rd Session of the 4th House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands (VI) held at the Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff’s Bottom Tortola.


Case brought in official capacity as Speaker - Hon Willock


According to the Speaker, “There has been much public discourse within the last week about… who is to pay the legal costs for the withdrawal of an injunction brought before the courts in my official capacity as Speaker,” he opened the statement.

Hon Willock had tried to prevent the three Attorneys attached to the Commission of Inquiry, Bilal M. Rawat, Andrew King and Rhea Harrikissoon from carrying out duties in relation to their appointments until and unless their appointment was deemed to be valid, in keeping with the Legal Professions Act of 2015.

However, Justice Adrian Jack had said that the only thing missing to enable the injunction to be heard was the consent of the AG, as Hon Willock had no legal standing to carry forward the injunction on his own. The case was then withdrawn.

According to court documents, the defendants are claiming $71,388.59 in court costs and the Attorney-General is claiming $6,084.

Andrew King, left, and Bilal M. Rawat, right, are two of the three lawyers currently assisting the UK-sponsored Virgin Islands (VI) Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and have been accused of practicing law in the territory while not being called to the BVI Bar, a violation of the Legal Professions Act 2015.


Strange request by Judge Jack


However, UK Judge Adrian Jack asked Hon Willock to prove that Silk Law was representing him in his official capacity and not in a private capacity.

According to the Speaker in his statement, “Never in recent jurisprudence in the Region or the United Kingdom has there been an issue when a plaintiff brings a matter to court, loses or withdraws, that the case goes to a legal or public debate about who will take up the cost.”

The speaker also indicated that it was unusual for the Court to require a party to prove how their lawyers are being financed.

“Many have argued that this is an overreach of the judicial branch, with no regards or respect for the three equal branches of Government,” he said.

Accusing the Judge of judicial activism, Hon Willock underscored that the conundrum over cost may also be an interference against the Legislature, given the House of Assembly has the right to bring any matter to court, independent of the Attorney General, Hon Dawn J. Smith.

HoA has right to take matters to court - Hon Willock


“That is why, from 2004, this House, in its wisdom, voted to set up an account via the Budget process within the House of Assembly for such actions, under the ambit of the Clerk.

He said he will not speculate as to why suddenly, "it is a concern for a British Judge, as to who pays for a matter that was clearly stated in all filings coming from the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.”

Hon Willock said for the VI, its young democracy and the rule of law remain at stake over the matter, given the attempts of those who wish to deliberately undermine and intimidate the Legislature.

The Virgin Islands must be a place where the rule of law applies to all residents, visitors, all branches of Government, and even personnel of the Commission of Inquiry,“ Hon Willock concluded.

Judicial Activism


Judicial activism is a controversial judicial practice, particularly in the United States.

It is a judicial philosophy holding that the courts can and should go beyond the applicable law to consider broader societal implications of its decisions.

Judicial activism is also usually a term that implies that judges make rulings based on their own political agenda rather than precedent and take advantage of judicial discretion.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
×