“Flower,…
…the reproductive portion of any plant in the division Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae),…
…a group commonly called flowering plants…
…or angiosperms….
As popularly used, the term “flower” especially applies…
…when part or all of the reproductive structure is distinctive in colour…
and form.”
https://www.britannica.com/science/flower
In a far-reaching judgment delivered this morning, Jamaica’s Constitutional Court declared the National Identification and Registration Act, 2017 to be “unconstitutional, null, void and of no legal effect. The consequence of this is that the statute is struck down from the laws of Jamaica.” (Press Summary, p. 3 [5])
The full press summary is available here: Press summary of judgment in Julian J Robinson vs The Attorney General of Jamaica – April 2019
The full judgment has been posted on the Supreme Court website (click here). The website also has an audio recording of Chief Justice Sykes delivering the judgment.
I have also included a copy of the full judgment here: Robinson, Julian v The Attorney General of Jamaica – judgment 12-4-19
There is much to be said about this ruling and its implications. But here is the information to start with…
Yesterday a press release from Court Management Services informed the media and the public that the Constitutional Court would be delivering “its ruling in the challenge to sections of the National Identification and Registration Act, 2017 on [Friday] April 12, 2019 at 9:30am.” 
In an unprecedented arrangement, an audio feed of the delivery of the ruling will be live streamed. There are three links to the live stream:
Supreme Court website: http://supremecourt.gov.jm/
Court Management Services website: http://cms.gov.jm/2019/04/10/live-judgment/
Parish Court website: http://www.parishcourt.gov.jm/
This ruling is a highly anticipated one of great public interest and Chief Justice Bryan Sykes is keeping the commitment he made at the end of the court case in October last year that the judgment would be delivered within 180 days.
The decision to live stream is also a very positive step towards increasing public understanding of court procedures, in strengthening transparency and hopefully in building greater trust in the justice system.
More to say after tomorrow….
NIDS – The National Identification and Registration Act, 2017 No. 35
The traveler’s palm, the water oak, the Number Eleven mango tree all line up against the goodnight sky.
We moved to Mona Heights more than fifty years ago and although we never lived on Daisy Avenue, I knew it well. I haven’t lived in Mona for decades now, but drive through often. When I saw this view recently as I drove up Daisy Avenue, I stopped to take some photos…
…two magnificent Royal Palms stood guard in someone’s yard…
…shadows on a trunk…
…leaves against the sky…
…a few moments one afternoon, on Daisy Avenue, Mona Heights…
Nature has its way of doing this, distracting you with its beauty. Sitting at Gloria’s Seafood restaurant at Victoria Pier on Kingston Harbour a few weeks ago, I wasn’t thinking much about how long it was taking for the food to arrive, the seriously polluted state of the harbour or the current events and governance issues that had been my day’s focus. I was captivated by clouds above the horizon…
…trees silhouetted against the sky…
…and the setting sun….
Even the buildings looked better at that time of day…
When you look up, you see the leaves on the tree…
…when you look down, you see the leaves on the ground…
…brown…
…dried and curling…
…beautifully lined…
Look closer…
…at fallen leaves…
