Transgender social media personality, Washington Bramble has written a detailed letter to the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, in an effort to have all of the country’s local magistrates removed from her court matters.
Bramble is presently charged for making insulting remarks on social media about Chief Health Inspector Sharon Martin on February 8th and 9th this year, and about the head of the Magistracy some time after.
In the missive dated October 27th, Bramble is alleging abuse by Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh and is therefore requesting that the commission ask the current magistrates to recuse themselves from her matters and appoint another judicial officer from within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
She says she no longer has confidence in the integrity of any of the sitting magistrates in Antigua [and has] good reason to believe that any decision that they hand down in her matters will be influenced by the Chief Magistrate’s perceived bias against her.
Bramble believes that the Chief Magistrate is against her being vocal about irregular practices at the court which include lobbying for magistrates to face drug tests and undergo psychiatric evaluation.
The 41-year-old went on to claim that Walsh, during her tenure as Chief Magistrate, has faced incessant accusations and investigations
She said: “The office of Chief Magistrate should be held by an individual who is beyond reproach. Joanne Walsh is NOT.”
The transgender woman is adamant that she has no confidence in the two magistrates who are overseeing her current cases — Conliffe Clarke and Dexter Wason — because she has contested decisions made by both in the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal in the past.
She further alleges that Magistrate Clarke committed the case involving the Chief Health Inspector but “didn’t even read the file or even had an understanding of the electronic crimes Act” but simply wanted to “pass on the bogus case to the High Court to assist his boss”.
It appears that Bramble and Chief Magistrate Walsh have been at loggerheads for many years.
Earlier this year, Bramble alleged that Walsh has been discriminating against her in legal matters since 2008 when she was a Crown Counsel.
And when Walsh was made Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Bramble wrote to the same Commission to have her removed.