Our History
As a matter of historical interest, appeals from final decisions of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas lay directly to the Judicial Committee of Her Majesty’s Privy Council up to 1965 when the Court of Appeal, created by the 1963 Constitution became functional.
The Court of Appeal was, at first, one shared with, among others, Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands and it sat in three sessions each year. It had no designated courtroom and the Justices of Appeal at various times used part of the Senate Chamber and at others the chambers of one of the Justices of the Supreme Court.
In January 1996, a full-time Court of Appeal composed of a resident President, the Chief Justice by virtue of his office as Head of Judiciary, at least one other resident Justice and three other Justices of Appeal, was established under Article 98(2) of the Constitution.
At present, the Court is composed of a resident President, the Chief Justice by virtue of his office as Head of Judiciary, three resident Justices of Appeal and one non-resident Justice of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal was given its present quarters in January 1998.