Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Established27 February 1967 (1967-02-27)
Jurisdiction
List of countries
LocationCastries, Saint Lucia (Headquarters)
MottoFiat Justitia
Composition methodAppointed by the Monarch (Chief Justice) and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (Other Judges)
Authorized bySupreme Court Order
Appeals toJudicial Committee of the Privy Council
Caribbean Court of Justice
Appeals fromMagistrates' Courts
High Courts
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.eccourts.org
Chief Justice
CurrentlyJanice Pereira
Since24 October 2012 (2012-10-24)

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS),[1] including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and three British Overseas Territories (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, and Montserrat). It has unlimited jurisdiction in each member State.

History

The ECSC was established in 1967 by the West Indies Associated States Supreme Court Order No. 223 of 1967. In relation to Grenada, the Court is styled "the Supreme Court of Grenada and the West Indies Associated States". See section 105 of the Grenada Constitution.

Functions

The functions of the ECSC are as follows:

Appeals from the ECSC

Appeals from the ECSC can be lodged in defined cases to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom (in cases from Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, and Montserrat) or the Caribbean Court of Justice in Trinidad and Tobago (for cases from Dominica and Saint Lucia[2]).

Composition

Judges

To be a judge or master of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, a person must have served as a judge in a Commonwealth jurisdiction or be qualified to act as a lawyer in a Commonwealth jurisdiction. An appointee does not need to be a national, judge, or lawyer of a country within the jurisdiction of the Court. The Chief Justice is appointed by the King of the United Kingdom by Letters Patent as advised by the Lord Chancellor.[3] Other judges are appointed on behalf of the King by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.[clarification needed]

High Court Judges and Masters are assigned to reside in and hear cases from a specific member state. It is common for judges to be asked to work in countries other than their home state. Judges are only occasionally assigned to reside in Montserrat and Anguilla—because of the small population of these countries, judges from the other jurisdictions hear cases that arise from these two jurisdictions. The Court of Appeal is itinerant and travels to the various countries to hear appeals.

Judges have life tenure but Justices of Appeal must retire when they are 65 and High Court Judges must retire when they are 62. Extensions of up to three years may be granted by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission only if all of the states agree to such an extension.

Current composition

Name Assigned state Home state Position Appointed to current position
Janice Pereira Court of Appeal: All states  British Virgin Islands Chief Justice 2012
Davidson Baptiste Court of Appeal: All states  Dominica Justice of Appeal 2009
Mario Michel Court of Appeal: All states  Saint Lucia Justice of Appeal 2012
Gertel Thom Court of Appeal: All states  Guyana Justice of Appeal 2014
Paul Anthony Webster Court of Appeal: All states  Jamaica Justice of Appeal [Ag.] 2015
Gerard Farara Court of Appeal: All states  British Virgin Islands Justice of Appeal 2020
Trevor Ward Court of Appeal: All states  Trinidad and Tobago Justice of Appeal 2022

High Court Judges

 Anguilla
 Antigua and Barbuda
 Dominica
 Grenada
 Montserrat
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Saint Lucia


 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
 British Virgin Islands

Chief Justices

Name Home state Dates
Allen Montgomery Lewis  Saint Lucia 1967–1972
P. Cecil Lewis (acting)  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1972–1975
Maurice Davis  Saint Kitts and Nevis 1975–1980
Neville Peterkin  Grenada 1981–1983
Neville Berridge (acting)  Saint Kitts and Nevis 1983–1984
Lascelles Robotham  Jamaica 1984–1991
Vincent Floissac  Saint Lucia 1991–1996
Charles Michael Dennis Byron  Saint Kitts and Nevis 1996–2004 (acting 1996–1999)
Adrian Saunders (acting)  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2004–2005
Brian George Keith Alleyne (acting)  Dominica 2005–2008
Hugh Anthony Rawlins  Saint Kitts and Nevis 2008–2012
Janice Pereira  British Virgin Islands 2012–present

Location

The Headquarters of the ECSC is in Castries, Saint Lucia, where it is located on the second floor of the Heraldine Rock Building, Block B, on the Waterfront. The building houses the Justices of Appeal's chambers, the Court of Appeal Registry, the Judicial Education Institute, Library, and the Administrative Services.

In addition, there are Court Offices in the nine Member States, which house the chambers of the High Court Judges and the offices of the High Court Registry. Each High Court Registry is headed by a legally trained Registrar who provides the necessary administrative and legal support for the functioning of the High Court.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ John Hatchard (ed.) Directory of Commonwealth Law Schools 2003-2004. Cavendish Publishing. 2003. ISBN 1-85941-758-2; page 122.
  2. ^ "In Saint Lucia, parliament passes constitutional amendment to replace Privy Council with Caribbean Court of Justice as final court of appeal". ConstitutionNet. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Vacancy Notice – Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court". Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Retrieved 11 September 2022.

External links

Supreme Courts of the Americas
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
Categories