The Caribbean Court of Justice opened its new law term with an itinerant sitting in Castries, St Lucia, continuing its practice of taking the region's highest court beyond its Trinidad headquarters.
Justice Winston Anderson, President of the CCJ, said the court has built a strong foundation of institutional excellence over the past two decades, guided by principles and values that have shaped its work across the Caribbean Community.
The itinerant sitting means the court heard matters in St Lucia rather than only in Port of Spain, where it is based. The CCJ was established in 2001 and began operations in 2005, serving both as the final court of appeal for member states that have signed on to its appellate jurisdiction and as the court that interprets the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, the founding agreement of CARICOM.
For Dominica, the opening of the law term carries direct significance. The Commonwealth of Dominica is a member of CARICOM, and the CCJ's original jurisdiction settles disputes between member states and governs the interpretation of the treaty that underpins the regional single market and economy. The court's appellate jurisdiction, meanwhile, applies only in those countries that have replaced the Privy Council with the CCJ as their final court of appeal.
Dominica has not yet acceded to the appellate jurisdiction of the CCJ, meaning that appeals from Dominican courts continue to go to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. The question of whether to adopt the CCJ as the island's final court has been debated in the region for years, with supporters arguing it would complete the region's judicial independence and critics raising concerns about cost and process.
The CCJ's itinerant sittings are part of an effort to make the court more visible and accessible to the people of the Caribbean. By sitting in different member states, the court allows lawyers, litigants and the public in those countries to see its work first-hand rather than only through reports from Trinidad.
St Lucia, like Dominica, is a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and the wider CARICOM grouping. The choice of Castries for the opening of the term places the court's work in the middle of the Windward Islands, a short distance from Dominica and the other OECS member states.
The CCJ's President used the occasion to reflect on the court's development since its establishment. He pointed to the principles and values that have guided its decisions and to the institutional record built over two decades of operation.
The court's new law term will see it continue to hear cases under both its original and appellate jurisdictions. For CARICOM member states, its rulings on the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas carry binding force, shaping how the regional integration movement operates in practice.
Dominicans who follow regional affairs will watch the term's progress, particularly any matters touching on the OECS, trade, or the movement of people and goods across the Caribbean Community. The court's decisions can affect national governments, businesses and individuals across the region.
The CCJ remains one of the central institutions of the Caribbean integration project, alongside the CARICOM Secretariat and the OECS Commission. Its sittings, whether in Port of Spain or in an itinerant location such as Castries, are part of the legal architecture that binds the region together.
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