November 9, 2018 — “After a nearly two-year delay, the constitutional challenge to Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law looks set to finally restart. The case was effectively suspended while the Jamaican Supreme Court waited for the Court of Appeal to decide whether the Public Defender could join the matter as an interested party. In a heavily criticized decision, a judge of the Supreme Court had ruled that ten religious groups had standing as interested parties to oppose this case, while the country’s Public Defender, whose statutory job it is to support the human rights of citizens, was denied. Today, in a very disappointing decision, the Court of Appeal ruled against the Public Defender, so now the claimant, Maurice Tomlinson, is left alone to fight this case against the government and the religious groups.”
Related: CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE TO JAMAICA’S ANTI-SODOMY LAW: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS