The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a

superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...

court of record A court of record is a trial court or appellate court in which a record of the proceedings is captured and preserved, for the possibility of appeal. A court clerk or a court reporter takes down a record of oral proceedings. That written recor ...

for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six

independent state Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two maj ...

, the

Commonwealth of Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It ...

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

and three

British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

(

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...

, 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 Lucia, 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).

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 of Nations, 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

—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

High Court Judges

; *Ermin Moise ; *Nicola Petra Byer *Ann-Marie Smith *Marissa Robertson *Colin Williams *Jan Drysdale ; *Wynante Adrien-Roberts *Jacqueline Josiah-Graham ; *Paula Gilford *Victoria Charles-Clarke *Raulston Glasgow *Agnes Actie ; *Iain Charles Morley, KC ; *Iain Charles Morley, KC *Patrick Thompson Jr. (Nevis Circuit) ; *Cadie St. Rose- Albertini *Vivian Georgis Taylor-Alexander *Shawn Innocent *Kimberly Cenac-Phulgence *Rohan Phillip ; *Brian Cottle *Birnie Stephenson *Esco Henry *Angelica Teelucksingh ; *Richard Floyd *Gerhard Wallbank [Ag.] *Adrian Jack [Ag.]

Chief Justices

Location

The Headquarters of the ECSC is in Castries,

, 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.

References

External links

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court website
{{Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Law in the Caribbean International supreme courts International courts and tribunals Courts and tribunals established in 1967 Law of Antigua and Barbuda Law of Dominica Law of Grenada Law of Saint Kitts and Nevis Law of Saint Lucia Law of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Anguillan law British Virgin Islands law Montserratian law 1960s establishments in the Caribbean