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.

Since the retirement of Kenneth Benjamin in March 2020, Michelle Arana was the acting chief justice of Belize. Louise Blenman was appointed to fill the vacancy in September 2022.

Chief Justice of Belize

List of chief justices

The full list as published by the attorney general of Belize:

Chief Justice of Belize

Robert Temple Esq., 1843–1861

British Honduras (1862-1973)

Chief Justice of Belize

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 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 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

Samuel Awich, acting 2010–2011

Kenneth Benjamin, 2011-2020

Michelle Arana, acting 2020-2022

Louise Blenman, 2022-Present

References

Belize and the Commonwealth of Nations

1843 establishments in the British Empire