Court Orders JLSC, AG to Pay Enriquez

The High Court has ordered the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) and the Attorney General to pay legal costs to activist Jeremy Enriquez after finding the commission failed to properly respond to his complaint against a High Court judge and left him in a prolonged state of uncertainty.

The ruling, delivered on May 26 by Justice Martha Alexander, arose from a judicial review claim filed by Enriquez over the JLSC's handling of a complaint of judicial misconduct lodged against Justice Tawanda Hondora. The court rejected the Attorney General's request for Enriquez to pay the State's legal costs and instead awarded costs against both the JLSC and the Attorney General.

In a decision critical of the commission's conduct, Justice Alexander found that the JLSC failed to comply with pre-action protocols designed to avoid litigation and did not provide a proper response to Enriquez despite repeated requests for updates. The court concluded that the commission's actions were inconsistent with both the spirit and letter of the law.

The dispute stems from a complaint Enriquez filed on April 28, 2025, alleging judicial bias and misconduct by Justice Hondora. The complaint followed an incident in which Hondora allegedly failed to mute his microphone during a lunch break and was overheard discussing an ongoing case involving Enriquez and his attorney.

According to court documents, more than seven months passed without a substantive decision from the JLSC despite multiple letters from Enriquez seeking an update. He subsequently filed for judicial review in November 2025. Shortly thereafter, the commission informed him that it had dismissed the complaint.

Justice Alexander found that Enriquez acted reasonably in bringing the judicial review claim and rejected arguments that he had rushed to court. The judge determined that the litigation could have been avoided had the JLSC responded in a more timely and transparent manner.

The ruling marks another legal victory for Enriquez, who recently succeeded in two appeals before the Caribbean Court of Justice relating to his constitutional redistricting challenge.

Despite the costs award, the underlying dispute remains unresolved. Enriquez has separately challenged the JLSC's decision to dismiss his complaint against Justice Hondora, and that matter is expected to proceed to trial.