Starting September 1, the vast majority of magistrates’ courts across Trinidad and Tobago will transition back to full in-person judicial hearings, the Judiciary announced in an official statement. The only exceptions to this rollout are the Port of Spain and Scarborough district courts, which will retain their current operational arrangements through 2027 due to ongoing infrastructure works. The return to in-person proceedings is being implemented on a gradual phased schedule, designed as a core step in the Judiciary’s long-term push to expand public access to the justice system. Alongside the changes to magistrates’ courts, 15 criminal high court venues will also open for in-person hearings on the same date: 11 located in Port of Spain, three at the Princes Town Judicial Centre, and one at the Tobago High Court. Masters’ courts will operate under a temporary hybrid model for the time being, with specific administrative protocols to be determined at the local divisional level.
This planned transition follows a comprehensive nationwide assessment of judicial infrastructure led by Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh, who personally toured court facilities across Trinidad and Tobago over recent months. During these visits, the Chief Justice met with court personnel, evaluated the condition, functionality and accessibility of each building, and flagged areas in need of upgrades to meet the needs of court users, staff and judicial officers. “As we return to wider in-person hearings, it is important that our court facilities are ready to meet the needs of everyone who uses them,” Boodoosingh said, emphasizing that the shift to increased in-person proceedings must be supported by safe, fully operational and accessible spaces. “We are committed to improving the court environment and ensuring that our facilities support the effective delivery of justice,” he added. The Judiciary noted the phased rollout was developed following extensive consultations with key justice sector stakeholders, and additional details on specific local arrangements will be released in the coming weeks. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has already been notified of the changes, and is currently reallocating officers to court locations. On Monday, leadership from all 10 policing divisions was briefed, with regional assistant commissioners and divisional commanders ordered to finalize officer deployment plans ahead of the September 1 deadline.
Legal industry stakeholders have broadly welcomed the announcement, though many have called for a balanced approach that retains virtual and hybrid options for certain proceeding types. The Assembly of Central Legal Practitioners (ACLP) confirmed its support for the Judiciary’s plan, but argued that in-person hearings should be restricted primarily to trials and other matters where a presiding magistrate specifically requires physical attendance. Speaking to local outlet *Trinidad Express*, ACLP executive member and attorney Steven Mawer noted that routine case management conferences, held to update the status of cases moving toward trial, function far more efficiently in virtual or hybrid formats. “The Magistrates’ Court should be open, but in-person hearings should be limited to trial matters, or matters specifically ordered to be in person by the magistrates in charge of their respective courts,” Mawer explained.
Senior judicial figure Justice Frank Seepersad also echoed this balanced perspective, welcoming the expansion of in-person hearings while warning against abandoning the technological advances adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seepersad stressed that virtual hearings still hold an important place in the modern justice system, particularly for case management, routine procedural applications, and matters where physical attendance adds no meaningful value. However, he cautioned that efficiency cannot be the sole guiding metric for how justice is delivered. “Efficiency, however desirable, cannot be the ultimate measure of justice,” he said. Seepersad placed particular emphasis on criminal trials, where outcomes can result in loss of liberty and permanent reputational harm for accused persons. “A criminal trial is the solemn occasion upon which the coercive authority of the State is brought to bear upon the individual. Liberty, reputation and sometimes the course of an entire life may hang in the balance,” he noted. For such high-stakes proceedings, physical attendance should not be dismissed as an outdated practice, he argued, as it remains a critical safeguard for procedural fairness, human dignity and effective participation by all parties. Seepersad also highlighted the irreplaceable human element of judicial proceedings, noting that technology cannot fully replicate the empathetic dimension of in-person justice. “Justice is, after all, a human undertaking, and there is an empathetic dimension to its administration which no technology can fully replicate,” he said. He further emphasized the core principle of open justice, citing a landmark observation from the Privy Council in *Ambard v Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago* that “Justice is not a cloistered virtue.” Judicial authority depends on public scrutiny, Seepersad explained, with transparency fostering accountability and accountability sustaining public confidence in the justice system. “Justice does not derive authority from seclusion, but from its capacity to withstand scrutiny,” he said. Outlining a balanced path forward, Seepersad said the Judiciary should neither reject virtual technology nor cling blindly to traditional practices, but instead use each modality where it is most effective. “Technology must remain the servant of justice, never its master,” he concluded.
This planned transition aligns with priorities Boodoosingh laid out late last year during the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago’s annual dinner and awards ceremony. At that event, the Chief Justice identified the full reopening and maximum utilization of court buildings as a top personal priority, noting that justice inherently requires in-person human interaction. He pointed out that multiple court buildings, including the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court, have remained closed for extended periods for renovation works that have stretched to more than four years, with both costs and completion timelines ballooning over that period. Boodoosingh also restated his goal of building a more efficient, higher-performing Judiciary with shorter timelines for both hearings and final rulings, noting that all citizens have a fundamental right to have their cases heard and resolved within a reasonable timeframe, and that clear performance standards must be established to improve justice delivery across the system.