On a recent Sunday in Lucea, Hanover, Jamaica, members of the Lay Magistrates’ Association of Jamaica (LMAJ) gathered at Lucea United Church for a national service of celebration, marking 41 years of voluntary, dedicated contribution to the country’s legal and community frameworks. The event, held under the official theme “LMAJ at 41, Strengthening Justice through Service”, brought together sitting Justices of the Peace (JPs), local clergy, community stakeholders, and faith leaders to reflect on decades of work and renew the organisation’s founding mission.
In her keynote address to the assembled congregation, LMAJ President Paulette Kirkland, JP, framed the association’s work not as a mere civic obligation, but as a calling rooted in both legal principle and spiritual values. Noting the anniversary fell just one week after the Easter season, a period defined by reflection, sacrifice and renewal in Christian tradition, Kirkland drew a deliberate parallel between lay magistrates’ legal duties and the model of servant leadership central to Christian faith.
“Lent is a season of reflection, sacrifice, humility, and renewal. It reminds us of Christ’s call to servant leadership — a leadership grounded not in power, but in love; not in status, but in sacrifice,” Kirkland told attendees. She argued that the pursuit of justice extends far beyond a technical legal function, positioning it as a divine mandate shaped by righteousness, wisdom, and compassion. “In a world where injustice can weaken communities and erode trust, our service strengthens the very foundation of our society,” she added.
Looking back on 41 years of the LMAJ’s operation across Jamaica, Kirkland paid tribute to the thousands of unpaid voluntary hours JPs have contributed to parish courts and local communities across the island. She anchored the core requirements of the JP role in the biblical verse Micah 6:8, which calls for people “to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God”, breaking down each phrase as a guide to the work of lay magistracy. “To do justly: ensuring fairness without prejudice or partiality. To love mercy: recognising the humanity behind every case. To walk humbly: understanding that true authority comes from God,” she explained.
As the association enters its 42nd year of service, Kirkland used the anniversary occasion to issue a call for collective recommitment to the non-negotiable core values of integrity and impartiality, particularly at a moment when rising concerns over injustice have eroded public trust in social and legal institutions across the globe. “Anniversaries are not only moments of celebration; they are moments of recommitment,” she emphasized.
Lennox Anderson-Jackson, Custos of Hanover, echoed Kirkland’s remarks, praising JPs for their four-decade legacy as quiet but transformative pillars of Jamaican local communities. Describing JPs as “mediators, mentors, advocates and guardians of good order”, Anderson-Jackson noted that the impact of their work in resolving community conflicts, maintaining social peace and upholding the rule of law cannot be overstated. He added that in an era of growing public skepticism around trust and equity, the work of lay magistrates has grown more, not less, critical to societal stability, echoing the long-held legal principle that “Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done”.
The anniversary celebration unfolded against a backdrop of unaddressed internal challenges for the LMAJ, which has recently navigated questions surrounding member ethical standards and professional conduct. While Reverend Glenroy Clarke, pastor of the host Lucea United Church and a past president of the LMAJ’s Hanover chapter, did not explicitly name these ongoing challenges during his sermon, he centered his remarks on the urgent need for unity within the association. Clarke stressed that while internal disagreement may occur, fragmentation is not an acceptable outcome for the organisation. “Uncertainty may remain ahead of us but we are no longer divided as an association. We are stronger together to stand up to the test of times,” Clarke asserted.