Children’s voices are not always heard in court, and judges and magistrates play an important role in ensuring their views are not overlooked, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said yesterday.
She was addressing the four newly appointed judges and magistrates soon after she administered the oath of office to them at The Palace in Valletta.
Madam Justice Myriam Hayman, Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti, Magistrate Monica Vella and Magistrate Joe Mifsud said a few words and thanked their loves ones for the support shown over the years.
As Magistrate Vella, the first to speak, thanked her parents, tears filled their eyes as they witnessed their daughter, a former Xewkija mayor and justice commissioner in the local tribunal, take on her new responsibilities.
“I will do my best to honour this role,” she said.
I’ll keep in mind that there are people behind the statistics
Magistrate Mifsud gave a special thank you to the late President Emeritus Guido de Marco, who was a top criminal lawyer, saying he had encouraged him to study law.
Magistrate Mifsud – well known as a journalist-broadcaster who also served as international secretary of the Labour Party – said he did not intend to be a Pontius Pilate sort of magistrate.
“I will not wash my hands of any decisions or let public opinion sway my judgment. I will try to deliver justice and I’ll keep in mind that there are people behind the statistics,” he said.
Mr Justice Grixti said he would build on his work as a magistrate and try to improve on it.
“This is a difficult commitment that requires sacrifices both by us and our families. When we’re sitting alone, between four walls, writing a judgment with no one to turn to, even our families suffer,” he said.
In an emotional address Madam Justice Hayman said: “On such a day I feel the absence of my mother, my father and Andrew [her partner] who I lost in the space of a year.”
She thanked her aunt, who was present yesterday, for the support shown and added that she was proud to be a member of the judiciary.
Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri said the fact that they were there meant they were being trusted to fill these important roles.
“When I spoke to them individually I told them I could guarantee one thing: that they would have a lot of work... I am confident they will live up to the challenge,” he said.