Justice Zaila McCalla is now being proposed by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to be the next chief justice.

She was appointed to the Court of Appeal last year after being a Supreme Court judge for several years.

Solicitor General, Michael Hylton, Q.C., who was being proposed to be the next chief justice, sent a letter to the Prime Minister this week withdrawing his name from the list of candidates.

Government's choice

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister had sent a letter to the Leader of the Opposition proposing Mr. Hylton as the Government's choice for chief justice.

Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe is retiring on June 18 as he will be 70 on June 19.

If Mrs. Justice McCalla is appointed to the post, she will be the first woman to head the judiciary.

She was a prosecutor in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions before she was appointed resident magistrate.

She was later appointed a Supreme Court judge, and after acting several times on the Court of Appeal bench, she was appointed, last year.