Justice Winston Anderson, President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), is set to attend the 2026 Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association (CMJA) in Kingston, Jamaica. His participation in the regional judicial gathering runs from Saturday, September 19 to Wednesday, September 23.
The conference brings together magistrates and judges from across the Commonwealth to discuss matters of common concern to the judiciary, including the administration of justice, judicial independence and the rule of law. The CMJA is a professional body that links judicial officers from Commonwealth countries, and its annual conference serves as a forum for sharing best practice and addressing emerging challenges in the courts.
Justice Anderson's attendance places the Caribbean Court of Justice at the centre of those regional discussions. The CCJ, headquartered in Port of Spain, Trinidad, is the highest court of appeal for several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, including Dominica, and also serves as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Its president's participation in the Kingston meeting underscores the court's engagement with the wider Commonwealth judicial family.
For Dominica, the work of the CCJ is of direct practical importance. The court is the final appellate authority for the Commonwealth of Dominica, and its judgments shape the legal landscape in areas ranging from criminal appeals to constitutional matters. The presence of its president at a Commonwealth conference is therefore more than a ceremonial engagement; it is part of the ongoing dialogue among judges on how courts across the region and beyond handle similar legal questions.
The conference also provides an opportunity for judicial officers from smaller jurisdictions to compare notes with counterparts from larger states. Magistrates and judges from the Eastern Caribbean, including Dominica, regularly look to such gatherings for guidance on court administration, case management and the use of technology in the justice system.
Details of the conference agenda were not immediately available, but the CMJA's annual meetings typically include plenary sessions, workshops and discussions on judicial ethics, access to justice and the protection of vulnerable court users. The Kingston conference is expected to draw judicial officers from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Europe.
Justice Anderson has led the CCJ since 2022, having previously served as a judge of the court and as a judge of the Court of Appeal of Belize, among other judicial roles. His presidency has coincided with continued debate across the Caribbean about the adoption of the CCJ as the region's final court of appeal in place of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
The conference concludes on Wednesday, September 23. Any outcomes or declarations from the meeting are expected to be communicated through the CMJA and the participating judiciaries.
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