The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency,unitary state and parliamentary representative democracy and constitutional monarchy. The head of the civil administration and judiciary is the Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq,while the Chief Minister Kristina Moore is the head of government. The current monarch and head of state is King Charles III.
The bailiff is the chief justice in each of the Channel Island bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey,also serving as president of the legislature and having ceremonial and executive functions. Each bailiwick has possessed its own bailiff since the islands were divided into two jurisdictions in the 13th century. The bailiffs and deputy bailiffs are appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Secretary of State for Justice and may hold office until retirement age.
The title Bailiff of Guernsey has been used since at least the 13th century and indicated the leading citizen of Guernsey.
The Bailiff of Jersey is the civic head of the Bailiwick of Jersey. In this role,he is not the head of government nor the head of state,but the chief justice of Jersey and presiding officer of Jersey's parliament,the States Assembly. The Bailiff is also the President of the Royal Court. It is similar in role to the Bailiff of Guernsey.
The jurats are lay people in Guernsey and Jersey who act as judges of fact rather than law,though they preside over land conveyances and liquor licensing. In Alderney,however,the jurats are judges of both fact and law in both civil and criminal matters.
Sir Philip Martin Bailhache KC is a Jersey politician and lawyer who has served as a Deputy for St Clement since 2022 and the leader of the Jersey Liberal Conservatives party.
Sir Peter Leslie Crill was Bailiff of Jersey from 1986 to 1991.
Sir Geoffrey Robert Rowland,KC,was the Bailiff of Guernsey from 2005 to 2012.
The law of Jersey has been influenced by several different legal traditions,in particular Norman customary law,English common law and modern French civil law. The Bailiwick of Jersey is a separate jurisdiction from that of the United Kingdom,and is also distinct from that of the other Channel Islands such as Guernsey,although they do share some historical developments. Jersey's legal system is 'mixed' or 'pluralistic',and sources of law are in French and English languages,although since the 1950s the main working language of the legal system is English.
Frederick John Hill,known as Bob Hill,is a Jersey politician and human rights campaigner. For 18 years he was Deputy for the parish of St Martin in the States of Jersey.
The judiciary of Jersey is a branch of the government of Jersey that interprets and applies the laws of Jersey,to ensure equal justice under law,and to provide a mechanism for dispute resolution. The Bailiff of Jersey is the President of the Royal Court. Individual trials are heard by the Bailiff,the Deputy Bailiff or a Commissioner. The Master of the Royal Court deals with some preliminary matters in civil cases. The Court is supported by the Judicial Greffier who acts as the registrar. In addition to the judge,the Royal Court includes a number of volunteer Jurats. The Jurats decide issues of fact in criminal and civil trials,hand down sentences in criminal trials and award damages in civil trials. All judges in Jersey are bound by a code of conduct,introduced in 2007,which requires them to "uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary and perform their duties with competence,diligence and dedication".
Sir de Vic Graham Carey is a Guernsey bailiff. He is the son of advocate Victor Michael Graham de Vic ("Michael") Carey and Jean.
Sir William James Bailhache KC is a Jersey lawyer who was Bailiff of Jersey from 29 January 2015 until 11 October 2019. He is the brother of Sir Philip Bailhache who previously served as Bailiff.
Sir Richard Collas was Bailiff of Guernsey.
Sir Timothy John Le Cocq is a Jersey lawyer who is the current Bailiff of Jersey. He was sworn in on 17 October 2019.
Sir Richard James McMahon is a British barrister who has served as Bailiff of Guernsey since 2020.
Robert MacRae is His Majesty's Deputy Bailiff of Jersey.
Letters patent,in the United Kingdom,are legal instruments generally issued by the monarch granting an office,right,title,or status to a person. Letters patent have also been used for the creation of corporations or offices,for granting city status,for granting coat of arms,and for granting royal assent.
The Bailiwick of Jersey has an unwritten constitution arising from the Treaty of Paris (1259). When Henry III and the King of France came to terms over the Duchy of Normandy,the Norman mainland the suzerainty of the King of France. The Channel Islands however remained loyal to the British crown due to the loyalties of its Seigneurs. But they were never absorbed into the Kingdom of England by any Act of Union and exist as "peculiars of the Crown".
