Bishop Boyd Urges Fairness and Efficiency as Legal Year Opens

Published by The Rt. Rev'd Laish Zane Boyd Sr. on

A Sermon by The Rt. Rev. Laish Boyd, Bishop of the Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands at the Service for the Opening of the Legal Year on Wednesday, 14^th January 2026 at 10:00 am at Christ Church Cathedral, Nassau, The Bahamas

Romans 12: 1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may demonstrate what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable and perfect.”

Today, we gather for the ceremonies related to the Opening of the Legal Year. This service sits between two bookends: a procession to the church on one side and ceremonies outside and inside the Supreme Court, followed by lunch today.

Rites, ceremonies, pomp and pageantry, splendid robes and wigs: some will say that it is colonial, old-fashioned and archaic, but I disagree.

Firstly, because I am a “wig and gown” sort of guy; I mean, look how I dress for work.

Secondly, and on a more serious note, in human life, words are always inadequate to address, narrate, or sum up significant moments. Therefore, we have all sorts of rites and ceremonies, with regalia, that give a fuller address, for example:

Hugging a loved one who has come from abroad; we don’t just wave, nod, and say hello, we hug them and squeeze them and even lift them up off the ground…because a “hello” or a wave simply do not get the job done.
When our son or daughter is getting married, do we turn up in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops? Oh no! We get a special outfit to speak to the occasion.

Similarly, today’s events, attire, ceremonies, and splendour address a larger reality that is bigger than all of us and that beggars verbal description.

In these official opening ceremonies, we celebrate the Bahamas’ Justice System. It is a system inherited from our history, We have kept it going, we tweaked it, we have failed to update it in some respects…but it is a pretty good system… with alot of good people and great achievements in it … and it is ours: the sum total of all of us, and as good as our best character, efforts, and behaviour. So, whatever we say about this system, we are saying about ourselves.

Human beings will view an institution or an entity in terms of their experience with it. Even you do that. So, what has been your experience? Has the system been efficient, fair, slow, unjust, impartial, or corrupt – or subject to whim, personalities, or political or other interference? Has it served and protected the most vulnerable, or has it stoked the unjust, the rich, or the powerful? Do you have confidence in your top leadership, your superiors, and your subordinates? Or is the system full of incompetent people or those not committed to a work ethic or excellence?

These are questions which WE have to answer: you who are in it, AND those of us who look from the outside, who may be occasional users of the system.

At the end of the day, when we put aside wigs, gowns, ceremonies, and procedures, this system is made up of human beings – you – who all come from somewhere, some past, live somewhere in some present, and are headed somewhere into some future.

What are our values, i.e., our fundamental beliefs about what is important and right, what are our priorities, our guiding principles, our cares.

Many of us begin our journeys and our undertakings apart from ourselves, separated from who we are, because we do not know ourselves or we don’t think that we are important.

Maybe you need to take more time to know who you are, where you have come from, how we have gotten where we are, what you have had to overcome, what mistakes you have made, who are the people who have helped you to be who you are and to reach maturity.

The answers to some of these questions may be painful, and we must not be afraid to get help from loved ones (family or friends) – they know us better than anyone – or even to get professional help. But this is an important journey we must strive to take – so that we may have more to give to the people and the endeavours we love.

Secondly, once we put wigs, gowns, and ceremonies aside, how have we impacted those around us? Do we bring something positive to the people around us – co-workers, family, and friends, or are we a drain, a cloud and bucket of cold water, or a sinking feeling in the pit of someone’s stomach?

Our greatest value is not in our letters, regalia, accomplishments, brilliance, or efficiency – although all of these things are important and have their place. Our greatest value lies in being human: how we approach every human being in our orbit, and how we affirm them and engage them on the journey of life. And that only enhances our work relationship with that person, whether they be superior or subordinate, and it enhances our productivity.

Thirdly, as we put wigs, gowns, and procedures aside, what have our colleagues experienced of us? What are we like to work with, to journey with, to travel life alongside? Co-workers do not just work together: they travel the earthly pilgrimage together. That is why, in the case of each of you, who you are, what you bring to the table, and what you are like to work with are so important. You cannot separate these simple human, probing-into-your-personal-business questions from the running of my judicial system in this country because “a bunch” of us Bahamians (and non-Bahamians) are counting on you to BE your best and to DO your best, and to carry and to fulfil this responsibility that is yours to the best of your human ability.

So, yes, you thought that I had you in psychology class or a human development seminar put on by the Human Resources Department, but I was actually coming from somewhere else. And where is that? It is this: if we are going to be what God wants us to be in whatever line of work we choose or find ourselves in, then we have to start with who we are, the sum total of ourselves, the cumulative of our journey, if we are going to approximate or to begin the journey to become what God has for us to be.

This is my challenge as you begin another annual cycle. Some of you have been to these ceremonies many times – but I am asking you to let this one be different because you start with a renewed outlook, a different set of values: what God wants of you; what God calls you to; moving from mundane selfish values, which can be so shallow and earthbound, to higher service and to sacrifice; for we cannot do anything really meaningful without some sacrifice, So let us do our jobs to the glory of God, through good stewardship in your profession.

Mr. Chief Justice, Mr. Attorney General, Mr. President of the Court of Appeal, brothers and sisters, YOU, my friends, are the key. You are the main resource. I am sure that by now you have gotten the point I am trying to make: strive to make a difference because the judicial system is you. Remember that the best of it is in your best and the worst of it is in your worst. So how can you continue to make a difference, to put more legs on this gospel? Here are some simple examples:

Shorten the case running time. Cases drag on and on, costing people time, money, anxiety, and stress. Sometimes it is beyond everyone’s control. We know that, but sometimes it is not. You, in this room, can change that.
Make things simpler for people. Sometimes things are just drawn out. But some of the red tape and “rigmarole” that people go through is manufactured. You know that: manufactured for convenience, delay, spite, or because you are having a bad day. You, in this room, can change that.
Mete out justice fairly. How is it that a poor black man commits the same crime as a white person or a well-connected or rich black man, and the two – get this – receive different treatment AND A different sentence? How is that? This is not what our British forebears, the proponents of majority rule, the architects of independence, or our own parents had in mind in terms of justice, fairness, and right. You in this room can change that!!

Friends, I just want to encourage you in what you do. I beg you to believe in yourself. I remind you that success or failure is in your hands. I challenge you to see that each of you has “the power of one” and to use that power wisely.

I came across a simple poem that sums this all up.

It’s Up to You
One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room,
One candle wipes out darkness
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,
One life can make the difference,
You see, IT’S UP TO YOU!

So…

Happy New Calendar Year, Happy New Legal Year. God bless you all.

Become what God has purposed you to be.

Make your parents, grandparents, and teachers proud. From the grave let them shout: “That’s my girl!” or “That’s my boy!” Remember the people who made you into who you are and make them proud.

Hear now and remember the words of St. Paul speaking to the Christians of Rome and calling them away from their worst selves into a better and more elevated way. Paul was challenging them to be new people with a new outlook. He urged them to be transformed, to be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12: 1-2