Karl Hudson-Phillips
Encyclopedia
Karl Terrence Hudson-Phillips, ORTT, QC
(b. April 20, 1933) is a former Attorney General
of Trinidad and Tobago
and a former judge of the International Criminal Court
. He was also Lead Counsel in the murder
trial of Grenadian
Prime Minister
Maurice Bishop
.
Hudson-Phillips read law at Selwyn College
, University of Cambridge
; after completing a Master's degree in Law in 1959 he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn
, London
. He returned to Trinidad and Tobago where he established a distinguished legal practice and was appointed a Queen's Counsel
in 1970. He served as a Member of Parliament
from 1966 to 1976. Between 1969 and 1973 he served as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. In this capacity he was associated with the dreaded "Public Order Act" which was proposed by the People's National Movement
government in response to the Black Power
riots and Army Mutiny
of 1970. In 1973 he fell out of favour with then Prime Minister Eric Williams
(for openly campaigning to replace Williams, who had spoken about retirement). This ended his political career in the PNM.
In 1974 Hudson-Phillips founded the National Land Tenants and Ratepayers Association of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1980 he founded the Organisation for National Reconstruction
, a political party which contested the 1981 General Elections. Despite getting the second-highest vote tally in the election, the ONR failed to secure a single seat in Parliament. The ONR went on to form an accommodation with the National Alliance to contest the 1983 local government elections, and went on the merge with those parties to form the National Alliance for Reconstruction
. Hudson-Phillips and Basdeo Panday
, as the leaders of the two largest factions in what became the NAR decided to step aside and allow A.N.R. Robinson
, leader of one of the smaller parties, to become party leader. The NAR contested the 1986 general elections and won 33 of the 36 seats in Parliament. However, Hudson-Phillips did not take an active role in the party after the election (allegedly due to disagreements with A.N.R. Robinson).
In addition to the Grenada murder trial, Hudson-Phillips has been involved in many high-profile cases throughout the Caribbean, as both Presecutor and Defender. In 1999 he was elected President of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
In February 2003, Hudson-Phillips was elected to the first ever bench of International Criminal Court
judges. As "dean of the judges", he chaired the first meetings of judges before the election of the Presidency. He also contributed actively to the drafting of the Regulations of the Court. He resigned from the court for personal reasons on 14 March 2007.
On July 23, 2010, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, President of the UN Human Rights Council, announced that Hudson-Phillips would head a panel of experts to investigate whether Israel
's Gaza flotilla raid
on May 31, 2010 breached international law. Along with Hudson-Phillips, the panel includes Briton Desmond Lorenz de Silva
and Malaysian Mary Shanthi Dairiam
(http://www.vancouversun.com/news/body+names+team+probe+Israeli+ship+raid/3313940/story.html#ixzz0ugFYml1o).
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(b. April 20, 1933) is a former Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
and a former judge of the International Criminal Court
Judges of the International Criminal Court
The eighteen judges of the International Criminal Court are elected for nine-year terms by the member-countries of the court. Candidates must be nationals of those countries and they must "possess the qualifications required in their respective States for appointment to the highest judicial...
. He was also Lead Counsel in the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
trial of Grenadian
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...
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Maurice Bishop
Maurice Bishop
Maurice Rupert Bishop was a Grenadian politician and revolutionary who seized power in a coup in 1979 from Eric Gairy and served as Prime Minister of the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada until 1983, when he was overthrown in another coup by Bernard Coard, a member of his own...
.
Hudson-Phillips read law at Selwyn College
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
; after completing a Master's degree in Law in 1959 he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He returned to Trinidad and Tobago where he established a distinguished legal practice and was appointed a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1970. He served as a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
from 1966 to 1976. Between 1969 and 1973 he served as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. In this capacity he was associated with the dreaded "Public Order Act" which was proposed by the People's National Movement
People's National Movement
The People's National Movement is the present-day opposition political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Founded in 1955 by Eric Williams, it won the 1956 General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of Williams in 1981 George Chambers led the party...
government in response to the Black Power
Black Power
Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
riots and Army Mutiny
Black Power Revolution
The Black Power Revolution, also known as the "Black Power Movement", 1970 Revolution, Black Power Uprising and February Revolution, was an attempt by a number of social elements, people and interest groups in Trinidad and Tobago to force socio-political change.-History:Between 1968 and 1970 the...
of 1970. In 1973 he fell out of favour with then Prime Minister Eric Williams
Eric Williams
Eric Eustace Williams served as the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He served from 1956 until his death in 1981. He was also a noted Caribbean historian, and is widely regarded as "The Father of The Nation."...
(for openly campaigning to replace Williams, who had spoken about retirement). This ended his political career in the PNM.
In 1974 Hudson-Phillips founded the National Land Tenants and Ratepayers Association of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1980 he founded the Organisation for National Reconstruction
Organisation for National Reconstruction
The Organisation for National Reconstruction was a political party in Trinidad and Tobago. The party received the second-highest number of votes in the 1981 general elections, but failed to win a seat...
, a political party which contested the 1981 General Elections. Despite getting the second-highest vote tally in the election, the ONR failed to secure a single seat in Parliament. The ONR went on to form an accommodation with the National Alliance to contest the 1983 local government elections, and went on the merge with those parties to form the National Alliance for Reconstruction
National Alliance for Reconstruction
The National Alliance for Reconstruction was the governing party in Trinidad and Tobago between 1986 and 1991.-History:The party was established in 1986, aiming to be a multi-racial party...
. Hudson-Phillips and Basdeo Panday
Basdeo Panday
Basdeo Panday was the 5th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 1976–1977, 1978–1986, 1989–1995 and 2001–2010. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 as the Member for Couva North. He is the former...
, as the leaders of the two largest factions in what became the NAR decided to step aside and allow A.N.R. Robinson
A. N. R. Robinson
Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, OCC, TC was the third President of Trinidad and Tobago, serving from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. He was also Trinidad and Tobago's third Prime Minister, serving in that capacity from 18 December 1986 to 17 December 1991...
, leader of one of the smaller parties, to become party leader. The NAR contested the 1986 general elections and won 33 of the 36 seats in Parliament. However, Hudson-Phillips did not take an active role in the party after the election (allegedly due to disagreements with A.N.R. Robinson).
In addition to the Grenada murder trial, Hudson-Phillips has been involved in many high-profile cases throughout the Caribbean, as both Presecutor and Defender. In 1999 he was elected President of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
In February 2003, Hudson-Phillips was elected to the first ever bench of International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
judges. As "dean of the judges", he chaired the first meetings of judges before the election of the Presidency. He also contributed actively to the drafting of the Regulations of the Court. He resigned from the court for personal reasons on 14 March 2007.
On July 23, 2010, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, President of the UN Human Rights Council, announced that Hudson-Phillips would head a panel of experts to investigate whether Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's Gaza flotilla raid
Gaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
on May 31, 2010 breached international law. Along with Hudson-Phillips, the panel includes Briton Desmond Lorenz de Silva
Desmond Lorenz de Silva
Sir Desmond Lorenz de Silva, QC, KStJ, is a prominent British lawyer, and former United Nations Chief War Crimes Prosecutor in Sierra Leone.-Family background:...
and Malaysian Mary Shanthi Dairiam
Mary Shanthi Dairiam
Mary Shanthi Dairiam is a Malaysian human rights and women's rights advocate and United Nations official. She has since 2004 served on the UN's Gender Equality Task Force, and on the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women...
(http://www.vancouversun.com/news/body+names+team+probe+Israeli+ship+raid/3313940/story.html#ixzz0ugFYml1o).
Publications
- Hudson-Phillips, K. 1968. The Historical Development of the Settlement of Trade Disputes in Trinidad and Tobago. I.L.O. Monograph.
- Hudson-Phillips, K. 1987. A Case for Greater Public Participation in the Legislative Process. Statute Law Review.
- Hudson-Phillips, K. 1997. Law and Practice of Arbitration in Trinidad and Tobago. International Commercial Arbitration Bulletin.