Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

This article is about the superior court of record for OECS member states. For the appeal court of the Caribbean Community, see Caribbean Court of Justice.

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Established	27 February 1967 (1967-02-27)
Jurisdiction	List of countries Antigua and Barbuda Dominica Grenada Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Anguilla British Virgin Islands Montserrat
Location	Castries, Saint Lucia (Headquarters)
Motto	Fiat Justitia
Composition method	Appointed by the Monarch (Chief Justice) and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (Other Judges)
Authorised by	Supreme Court Order
Appeals to	Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Caribbean Court of Justice
Appeals from	Magistrates' Courts High Courts
Language	English
Website	www.eccourts.org
Chief Justice
Currently	Mario Michel (acting)
Since	5 May 2024 (2024-05-05)

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), 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:

• To interpret and apply the laws of the various member states of the OECS;
• To decide cases of both civil and criminal matters;
• To hear appeals.

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).

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. Other judges are appointed on behalf of the King by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.

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	Home state	Position	Appointed to current position
Vacant		Chief Justice
Mario Michel	Saint Lucia	Justice of Appeal	2012
Gerard Farara	British Virgin Islands	Justice of Appeal [Ag.]	2020
Trevor Ward	Trinidad and Tobago	Justice of Appeal	2022
Margaret Price Finlay	Trinidad and Tobago	Justice of Appeal	2022
Vicki Ann Ellis	Saint Lucia	Justice of Appeal	2022
Eddy Ventose	Saint Lucia	Justice of Appeal	2024
Esco Henry	Montserrat	Justice of Appeal	2024

High Court Judges

Anguilla

• Ermin Moise

Antigua and Barbuda

• Nicola Petra Byer
• Ann-Marie Smith
• Jan Drysdale
• Rene Williams
• Tunde Ademola Bakre [Ag.]

Dominica

• Colin Williams
• Jacqueline Josiah-Graham

Grenada

• Paula Gilford
• Raulston Glasgow
• Shawn Innocent
• Agnes Actie

Montserrat

• Dale Francis Fitzpatrick

Saint Kitts and Nevis

• Iain Charles Morley, KC
• Patrick Thompson Jr. (Nevis Circuit)
• Tamara Gill

Saint Lucia

• Wynante Adrien-Roberts
• Cadie St. Rose- Albertini
• Vivian Georgis Taylor-Alexander
• Kimberly Cenac-Phulgence
• Rohan Phillip
• Alvin Pariagsingh
• Rechanne Browne

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

• Brian Cottle
• Birnie Stephenson
• Rickie Burnett
• Richard Floyd [Ag.]
• Gertel Thom [Ag.]

British Virgin Islands

• Angelica Teelucksingh
• Sonya Young
• Gerhard Wallbank [Ag.]
• Paul Webster [Ag.]

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	2012–2024
Mario Michel (acting)	Saint Lucia	2024–prresent

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

• David Courtenay Harris, High Court Judge

See also

• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
• Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC)
• Caribbean Court of Justice

External links

• Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court website