The Caribbean Court docket of Justice (CCJ) formally celebrated its twentieth anniversary yesterday, April 16, with an Interfaith Service of Reflection and Prayer at Queen’s Corridor in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
The milestone occasion drew regional dignitaries, authorities officers, judicial representatives, diplomats, and members of the Caribbean authorized group to commemorate twenty years of the CCJ’s contributions to regional justice.
Amongst these in attendance was Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, together with members of the Judiciary, Authorities officers, non secular leaders from the Inter-Non secular Organisation, and each present and former CCJ judges and workers.
Talking on the ceremony, Ms. Sophia Chote SC, Commissioner of the Regional Judicial and Authorized Providers Fee, praised the Court docket’s file and integrity, stating, “The achievements of the CCJ are the achievements of our area. The Judges themselves are conscious about their duty to the area and discharge their duties with diligence and integrity.”
CCJ President, the Honourable Mr. Justice Adrian Saunders, referred to as the anniversary “a time for reflection and giving thanks,” including that the Court docket has “upheld the rule of legislation, safeguarded rights, and strengthened Caribbean jurisprudence” over its 20-year historical past. He highlighted the CCJ’s distinctive construction, together with its progressive funding through the CCJ Belief Fund and its judicial independence safeguarded by the Regional Judicial and Authorized Providers Fee.
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Based on April 16, 2005, the CCJ serves as each the ultimate appellate courtroom for 5 CARICOM states—Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, and Saint Lucia—and as a global courtroom chargeable for decoding the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. In its Authentic Jurisdiction, the Court docket has dominated on commerce disputes and freedom of motion inside the CARICOM Single Market and Economic system (CSME). Since its inception, the CCJ has heard over 400 appellate issues and 37 authentic jurisdiction circumstances.
The CCJ has additionally gained recognition as a pacesetter in judicial innovation, turning into one of many first courts within the Caribbean to livestream proceedings and host digital hearings as early as 2008. It continues to embrace expertise, together with synthetic intelligence for authorized analysis.
Past its courtroom operate, the Court docket helps regional growth by means of its instructional initiatives. Its affiliate establishments, the CCJ Academy for Regulation and the Caribbean Affiliation of Judicial Officers (CAJO), present judicial coaching and coverage steering. Notably, the Needham’s Level Declaration on Prison Justice—promoted by the Academy—has been cited in over 50 regional authorized issues.
The Interfaith Service kicks off a collection of occasions deliberate all year long to mark the anniversary. These embody a public exhibition of artefacts and archival materials detailing the Court docket’s historical past and the eighth Biennial CCJ Academy for Regulation Convention in November, themed “The CCJ at 20: Reflections on Caribbean Jurisprudence.”
