St. Catherine court reopens November 10 after hurricane damage

The reopening, however, will see a significant reshuffling of court operations after a structural inspection on October 30 found the Rodney Memorial Building, which houses the court's administrative offices, to be unsafe for occupation. Officials identified a critical risk of the second floor collapsing.

In a press release issued today, Kadiesh Fletcher, director of client services, communications, & information, outlined the interim measures being implemented to resume services.

Effective November 10, Circuit Court matters for the St. Catherine parish will be relocated and heard at the Home Circuit Court within the Supreme Court building in Downtown Kingston. Jurors for St. Catherine cases have been instructed to report to the Spanish Town Court Office for further directions from court staff.

While parish court sittings will resume on the same date, its administrative functions have been moved to a temporary space on the court side of the property. To facilitate this move, the section of the building typically used by the Lay Magistrates Court will be temporarily occupied by parish court staff.

This reassignment of space has led to the suspension of all Lay Magistrates court matters until January 2026.

Preparations for the relocation are scheduled for the week of November 3-7, 2025.

The Judiciary expressed its "sincere appreciation to court users, jurors, attorneys, and members of the public for their patience and understanding." They confirmed that collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Justice are ongoing to restore full operations to the St. Catherine Parish Court as quickly as possible.