Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior
Court of record
for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
, including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda
, the Commonwealth
of Dominica
, Grenada
, Saint Kitts and Nevis
, Saint Lucia
, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
and three British Overseas Territories
(Anguilla
, British Virgin Islands
, and Montserrat
). It has unlimited jurisdiction in each member State.
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.
, Saint Lucia
, 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.
Superior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
Court of record
Court of record
In common law jurisdictions, a court of record is a judicial tribunal having attributes and exercising functions independently of the person of the magistrate designated generally to hold it, and proceeding according to the course of common law, its acts and proceedings being enrolled for a...
for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , created in 1981, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance between countries and dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean...
, including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
, the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
of Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis
The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis , located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population....
, Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....
and three British Overseas Territories
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
(Anguilla
Anguilla
Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union 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...
, British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
, and Montserrat
Montserrat
Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
). It has unlimited jurisdiction in each member State.
History
The ECSC was established in 1967 by the West Indies Associated StatesWest Indies Associated States
The West Indies Associated States was the collective name for a number of islands in the Eastern Caribbean whose status changed from being British colonies to states in free association with the United Kingdom in 1967...
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 appealAppealAn appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
s.
Composition
| Name | State | Position | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian George Keith Alleyne Brian George Keith Alleyne Sir Brian George Keith Alleyne is a Dominican jurist. Beginning in 2005 he served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, stepping down from the position in 2007; he was succeeded as Chief Justice by Hugh Anthony Rawlins... |
 Dominica |
Chief Justice | 2003 |
| Denys Arthur Barrow |  Belize |
Justice of Appeal | 2005 |
| Hugh Anthony Rawlins Hugh Anthony Rawlins Hugh Anthony Rawlins is the current Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court; he succeeded Brian George Keith Alleyne in the position in 2007. He had previously served as an associate justice on the Court, representing Saint Kitts and Nevis in that capacity since 2005.-References:*... |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Justice of Appeal | 2005 |
| Ola Mae Edwards |  Jamaica |
Justice of Appeal | 2007 |
| Esbon Anthony Ross | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Managing Judge | 2006 |
| Janice Mesadis George-Creque |  British Virgin Islands |
High Court Judge | 2003 |
| David Courtenay Harris David Courtenay Harris David Courtenay Harris is a High Court Judge on the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. A native of Dominica, he has represented Antigua and Barbuda on the court since 2007; currently he serves alongside Mario Michel. He is a graduate of the University of Windsor in Ontario.-References:*... |
Dominica |
High Court Judge | 2007 |
| Indra Hariprashad-Charles | British Virgin Islands |
High Court Judge | 2000 |
| Rita Joseph-Olivetti | British Virgin Islands |
High Court Judge | 2001 |
| Janice Mesadis George-Creque | British Virgin Islands |
High Court Judge | 2003 |
| Davidson Baptiste | Dominica |
High Court Judge | 2001 |
| Claire Henry |  Grenada |
High Court Judge | 2001 |
| Francis Mortimer Cumberbatch | Grenada |
High Court Judge | 2007 |
| Janice Mesadis George-Creque |  Montserrat |
High Court Judge | 2003 |
| Francis Belle | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
High Court Judge | 2003 |
| Ianthea Leigertwood-Octave | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
High Court Judge | 2005 |
| Kenneth Andrew Charles Benjamin |  Saint Lucia |
High Court Judge | 1993 |
| Sandra Prunella Mason | Saint Lucia |
High Court Judge | 2005 |
| Brian Cottle | Saint Lucia |
High Court Judge | 2007 |
| Frederick Victor Bruce-Lyle |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
High Court Judge | 2000 |
| Gertel Thom | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
High Court Judge | 2005 |
| Cheryl Mathurin |  United Kingdom |
Master | 2002 |
| Pearletta Lanns | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Master | 2007 |
Location
The Headquarters of the ECSC is in CastriesCastries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
, Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, 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.
See also
- Organisation of Eastern Caribbean StatesOrganisation of Eastern Caribbean StatesThe Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , created in 1981, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance between countries and dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean...
- Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC)Judicial Committee of the Privy CouncilThe Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. Established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King in Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is one of the highest courts in the United...
- Caribbean Court of JusticeCaribbean Court of JusticeThe Caribbean Court of Justice is the judicial institution of the Caribbean Community . Established in 2001, it is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago....