Sir George Noel Brown (13 June 1942 – 26 July 2007) was the Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of Belize Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * The Supremes, Motown-e ...

from 1991 to 1998, the second native-born

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

an to sit in that position.

Career

Brown served the judiciary for more than four decades, rising up through the ranks. He began as a

lay magistrate Magistrates are trained volunteers, selected from the local community, who deal with a wide range of criminal and civil proceedings. They are also known as Justices of the Peace. In the adult criminal court, magistrates decide on offences whic ...

, and after qualifying as a

crown counsel Crown counsel are lawyers, generally in Common Law jurisdictions, who provide advice to the government and acts as prosecutors in cases. In various jurisdictions their title can vary and they could also be known as the Queen's Advocate, King's Advo ...

joined the Office of the

Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...

. He later became the Solicitor General of Belize. He served as acting Chief Justice in 1985–1986, and was named Chief Justice in 1991. His tenure was marked by conflict with the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

over the issue of

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; of the twenty death sentences he handed down in his latter years, the Privy Council granted a

stay of execution A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not always mean the death penalty. It refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed and i ...

in all cases which were appealed. An article in a London newspaper poked fun at Brown's style of setting up loudspeakers in the courtroom and delivering "fire and brimstone" judgments which he claimed were

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; the article was banned from republication in Belize. Towards the end of his tenure as CJ, his health also began to deteriorate, and he suffered from

epileptic seizures An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

. He submitted his resignation in November 1997. In early 1998, he was succeeded by

George Singh George Bawa Singh (May 1937 – 9 March 1999) was a Belizean judge who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1998 and as a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court from 1991 to 1998. He previously served as Solicitor General and Direct ...

. After his retirement, he worked privately as a consultant with the law firm of Lionel Welch, and also served as an acting Justice of the Supreme Court from 7 April 1999 alongside

Wilfred Elrington Wilfred Peter "Sedi" Elrington (born 20 November 1948)

Personal life

Brown was born to Noel "Todd" Brown and grew up in

Gales Point Gales Point is a village in Belize District in the nation of Belize, Central America. The village is on a peninsula in the Southern Lagoon In 2000, Gales Point had a population of about 500 people, most of whom subsist on fishing and farming. M ...

. He was an aficionado of sailing. He attended St. Michael's College, Belize, where he joint the football, cricket, and track and field teams. He did his

legal education Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular j ...

at the

Norman Manley Law School The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica. Building and location The Norman Manley Law School is located on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, yet it is a distinct and separate institution. Its building, design ...

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. He was knighted in December 1990. In May 1998, he co-founded the George Noel Brown Foundation along with Ella-Jean Gillett and Valentina Reyes to promote athletics and craftsmanship. However, his health continued to deteriorate after that, and in 2001 he went missing in

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, wh ...

due to disorientation. In February 2007, he was given the

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's James A. Waight award for his contributions to the social, cultural, and environmental development of Belize, in particular for his charitable work in introducing

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to the arts of sailing and

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. He died on 26 July that year. He was survived by his wife Lady Magdalene Elizabeth Brown, four daughters, and two sons. His funeral was held at Ephesus Adventist Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, George 1942 births 2007 deaths Chief justices of Belize People from Belize District Solicitors-General of Belize People associated with the Norman Manley Law School