INAUGURATION DATE – 16th day of April, 2005
LOCATION – Port of Spain, Trinidad
MEMBERS
ROLE OF THE COURT
The CCJ was established as a :
- Court of Original Jurisdiction and will deal with trade disputes amongst CARICOM member states.
- Court of final appeal, thereby replacing the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (UK)
JURISDICTION – Final Court of Appeal for Barbados and Guyana only
APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES
The CCJ has been plagued with suspicions that the judges would be subjct to manipulation by the politicians of the region. However, the mere manner in which the Judges are appointed, should put these fears to rest.
Unlike most other judicial systems the Ministers of Government do not appoint the judges of the CCJ. They are instead appointed by a Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission made up of 11 members. These members have a one year term of office subject to subject to the discretion of the nominating entity to renew its nominee’s appointment. Article VI (2) (a)
The first committee selected were:
· The Honourable Sir David Simmons - Chief Justice of Barbados and Chairman of the Judicial Services Commission of Barbados
· Ambassador Christopher Thomas - Chairman of the Public Service Commission of Trinidad and Tobago
· Mr. Othniel Sylvester CMG, Q.C. - President of the OECS Bar Association of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
· Dr. Lloyd George Barnett, OJ - President of the Independent Human Rights Association of Jamaica
· Ms. Gloria Gray, BSc, MSc - Representative of Civil Society
· Ms. Nelcia Robinson, B.Sc - Representative of Civil Society
· Dr. Magda Hoever -Venoaks - Professor of Law, University of Suriname
· Professor Aubrey Bishop, OR, CCH, B.Sc, LLM - Professor of Law, University of Guyana
· Mr. Allan J. Alexander, S.C. - Bar Association of Trinidad and Tobago
· The Rt. Hon. Sir Vincent Floissac, Q.C., K.C.M.G. - Former Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
