The Honourable Mr Justice Winston Anderson to Act as CCJ President
No. 26:2024
05 August 2024
The Honourable Mr Justice Winston Anderson has been appointed to act as President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) by the Honourable Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada and the current Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community. Mr Justice Anderson will serve as acting President from 02 August- 16 September 2024, while the Court President, the Honourable Mr Justice Adrian Saunders is on leave.
According to Article VIII paragraph 1 of the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice, the functions of the President of the Court “shall be performed by the Judge of the Court who is most senior according to the date of this appointment and he shall be appointed by letter under the hand of the Chairman for the time being of the Conference”, until the President has resumed those functions. Mr Justice Anderson having been appointed a Judge in June 2010, is presently the most senior Judge of the Court.
About the Caribbean Court of Justice
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was inaugurated in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on 16 April 2005 and presently has a Bench of six judges presided over by CCJ President, the Honourable Mr Justice Adrian Saunders. The CCJ has an Original and an Appellate Jurisdiction and is effectively, therefore, two courts in one. In its Original Jurisdiction, it is an international court with exclusive jurisdiction to interpret and apply the rules set out in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) and to decide disputes arising under it. The RTC established the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). In its Original Jurisdiction, the CCJ is critical to the CSME and all 12 Member States which belong to the CSME (including their citizens, businesses, and governments) can access the Court’s Original Jurisdiction to protect their rights under the RTC. In its Appellate Jurisdiction, the CCJ is the final court of appeal for criminal and civil matters for those countries in the Caribbean that alter their national Constitutions to enable the CCJ to perform that role. At present, five states access the Court in its Appellate Jurisdiction, these being Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, and Saint Lucia. However, by signing and ratifying the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice, Member States of the Community have demonstrated a commitment to making the CCJ their final court of appeal. The Court is the realisation of a vision of our ancestors, an expression of independence and a signal of the region’s coming of age.
Conclusion
The appointment of Mr Justice Winston Anderson to act as President of the CCJ is a crucial step in ensuring the effective functioning of the Court during the absence of the Court President, and we wish him success in his new role.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is acting as President of the CCJ?
- Mr Justice Winston Anderson will act as President of the CCJ from 02 August- 16 September 2024.
- Why is Mr Justice Anderson acting as President of the CCJ?
- Article VIII paragraph 1 of the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice states that in the absence of the Court President, the functions of the President of the Court shall be performed by the Judge of the Court who is most senior according to the date of this appointment, and Mr Justice Anderson is the most senior Judge of the Court.