{{Short description|Head of the Supreme Court of Belize}} {{Infobox official post | post = Chief Justice | body = Belize | native_name = | insignia = | insigniasize = | insigniacaption = | insigniaalt = | flag = | flagsize = | flagalt = | flagborder = | flagcaption = | image = | imagesize = | alt = | imagecaption = | incumbent = Louise Blenman | acting = | incumbentsince = 2 September 2022 | department = Supreme Court of Belize<br>Office of the Chief Justice | style = The Honourable Madam Chief Justice | type = | status = Chief Justice, head of the Supreme Court of Belize | abbreviation = | member_of = Supreme Court of Belize | reports_to = | residence = | seat = Supreme Court Building,<br>Belize City,<br>Belize,<br>Central America | nominator = Prime Minister | appointer = Governor General | appointer_qualified = | termlength = No set term, though retirement is mandatory at age 65. | termlength_qualified = | constituting_instrument = Constitution of Belize | precursor = | inaugural = Robert Temble | formation = 1843 | founder = | named_for = | first = | last = | abolished = | succession = | unofficial_names = | deputy = | salary = | website = {{url|https://www.belizejudiciary.org/}} | footnotes = }}
The '''chief justice of Belize''' is the head of the Supreme Court of Belize. Under Chapter 7 of the Constitution of Belize, the chief justice is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the prime minister.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belize.gov.bz/ct.asp?xItem=691&ctNode=566&mp=27|title=Structure, composition, and jurisdiction|publisher=Government of Belize|access-date=2012-04-19|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120802131351/http://www.belize.gov.bz/ct.asp?xItem=691&ctNode=566&mp=27|archive-date=2012-08-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Since the retirement of Kenneth Benjamin in March 2020, Michelle Arana was the acting chief justice of Belize.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Parks|first=Rowland A.|date=21 March 2020|title=Supreme Court Justice Michelle Arana will act as Chief Justice|url=https://amandala.com.bz/news/supreme-court-justice-michelle-arana-will-act-as-chief-justice/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=Amandala}}</ref> Louise Blenman was appointed to fill the vacancy in September 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2022/09/02/new-chief-justice-of-belize-louise-blenman-sworn-in/ | title=New Chief Justice of Belize Louise Blenman sworn in | date=2 September 2022 }}</ref>
==List of chief justices==
The full list as published by the attorney general of Belize:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belizelaw.org/supreme_court/justices.html|title=Chief Justices of Belize, 1843 to 2000|publisher=Attorney General of Belize|access-date=2012-04-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204121958/http://www.belizelaw.org/supreme_court/justices.html|archive-date=2012-02-04}}</ref>
#Robert Temple Esq., 1843–1861
===British Honduras (1862-1973)===
#Richard J. Connor, 1862 #William Alexander Parker, 1875–1881 #Sir Henry Rawlins Pipon Schooles, 1881 (later Administrator of Grenada, 1887 and Attorney General of Jamaica, 1896) #William Anthony Musgrave Sheriff, 1883–1886 #Sir William Meigh Goodman, 1886–1889 #Sir William John Anderson, 1890–1900 (afterwards Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago, 1900) #Sir Walter Llewellyn Lewis, 1900–1906<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27173|page=1709|date=13 March 1900}}</ref> #Frederic Mackenzie Maxwell, 1906–1911 (afterwards Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands, 1912) #Sir Walter Sidney Shaw, 1912–1914 #Sir Robert Blair Roden, 1915–1921 #Herbert Kortright McDonnell Sisnett, 1922–1931 #Charles Wilton Wood Greenidge, 1932–1936 #Sir Arthur Kirwan Agar, 1936–1940 #Sir Carleton George Langley, 1940–1947<ref> {{London Gazette|issue=34847|page=2807|date=10 May 1940}} </ref> #Frederick Malcolm Boland, 1948–1949 #Sir Alfred Victor Crane, 1950–1954 #Erskine Rueul La Tourette Ward, 1955–1957 #Sir Clifford De Lisle Inniss, 1957–1972
===Belize (1973–)===
#Arthur Richard Franklin Dickson, 1973–1974 #Sir Denis Eustace Gilbert Malone, 1974–1979 #Albert L. Staine, CBE, 1979–1982 #George C. R. Moe, QC, 1982–1985 #*George N. Brown, acting 1985–1986 #Taufik Cotran, CBE, 1986–1990 #Sir George N. Brown, 1990–1998 #George Singh, 1998 #Manuel Sosa, CBE, SC, 1998–1999 #*John Troadio Gonzalez, acting 1999–2000 #Dr. Abdulai Osman Conteh, 2000–2010<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=10367|first=Aaron|last=Humes|title=The end of an era: Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh retires|work=Amandala|date=2010-01-10|access-date=2012-04-18}}</ref> #*Samuel Awich, acting 2010–2011 #Kenneth Benjamin, 2011<ref name="Amandala20110729">{{cite news|last=Trapp|first=Adele|date=2011-07-29|title=Guyanese jurist, Kenneth Benjamin, 56, to succeed Conteh|work=Amandala|url=http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=11500|url-status=dead|access-date=2012-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317031124/http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=11500|archive-date=2013-03-17}}</ref>-2020 #*Michelle Arana, acting 2020-<ref name=":0" />2022 #Louise Blenman, 2022<ref>{{cite news| last= Humes|first=Aaron| date=2022-06-23|title= Government identifies new Chief Justice of Belize| url=https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2022/06/23/government-identifies-new-chief-justice-of-belize/}}</ref>-Present
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Belize topics}}
Category:Belize and the Commonwealth of Nations Category:Chief justices of Belize Category:1843 establishments in the British Empire