The Supreme Court of Judicature for Trinidad and Tobago is the

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

for

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. It was established in accordance with the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago and the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, 1962.

Composition

The Supreme Court of Judicature consists of a High Court of Justice and a Court of Appeal. The High Court is made up of the Chief Justice and between six and thirty-six puisine judges, and the Court of Appeal is made of up the Chief Justice and twelve Justices of Appeal. The judges have seniority according to their date of appointment and Justices of Appeal have precedence over High Court Justices. A judge cannot be appointed to the High Court unless they have been a member of the Bar of

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

or an attorney-at-law under the Legal Profession Act, 1986 for ten years. A judge cannot be appointed to the Court of Appeal unless he has been a judge of the former Supreme Court or High Court for three years, or has been a member of the Bar of England and Wales or an attorney-at-law for fifteen years. The Chief Justice is appointed by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, with advice from the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

and

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. Other judges are appointed by the President, in consultation with the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.

Jurisdiction

The High Court has

original jurisdiction In common law legal systems original jurisdiction of a court is the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, when a higher court has the power to review a lower court's decision. India In India, the Sup ...

over

indictable In many common law jurisdictions (e.g. England and Wales, Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore), an indictable offence is an offence which can only be tried on an indictment after a preliminary hearing ...

criminal matters, family matters, and civil matters. It sits at

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

and

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

. A decision of the High Court can be appealed to the Court of Appeal whether there is a question of constitutional interpretation, a breach of the laws protecting fundamental rights, a decision allowing or refusing proceedings which relate to the appointment, qualification, election or membership of a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

or member of the House of Representatives, or a punishment for

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...

. Appeals can be filed from the Supreme Court to the

Caribbean Court of Justice The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ; nl, Caribisch Hof van Justitie; french: Cour Caribéenne de Justice) is the judicial institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Established in 2005, it is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. ...

, with final appeal to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

in London.

Judges

The following are the judges of the Court of Appeal as of June 2021: * Mr. Justice Ivor Archie (Chief Justice) * Mr Justice James Aboud * Mr. Justice Nolan Bereaux * Mr. Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh * Mme. Justice Mira Dean-Armorer * Mr. Justice Malcolm Holdip * Mr. Justice Vasheist Kokaram * Mme. Justice Gillian Lucky * Mr. Justice Allan Mendonça * Mr. Justice Mark Mohammed * Mr. Justice Prakash Moosai * Mme. Justice Charmaine Pemberton * Mr. Justice Peter Rajkumar * Mr. Justice Gregory Smith * Mme. Justice Maria Wilson * Mme. Alice Yorke-Soo Hon

References

{{Reflist Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago Government of Trinidad and Tobago