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St. Kitts and Nevis Resident High Court Judge, Mr. Justice Davidson Baptiste, leading members of the legal profession from the St. George's Anglican Church on Church Street, to mark the start of a new Law Term in 2003. |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JULY 25TH 2005 The Criminal Trial New Perspectives from the Bench, will be discussed by Judges, Masters and Registrars of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court next month.
St. Kitts and Nevis Resident High Court Judge, His Lordship Mr. Justice Davidson Baptiste, will be among his colleagues from the OECS, meeting from August 2nd to 4th in Castries, the St. Lucia capital, to consider a number of crucial issues affecting the operations of the judiciary in the sub-region.
Registrar of the High Court in St. Kitts and Nevis, Ms. Pearlette Lanns, will also be among Registrars from the sub-region meeting in St. Lucia from August 4th to 5th. A joint meeting of Judges, Masters and Registrars is slated for the August 5th .
The conference will provide judges, masters and registrars of the court with an opportunity to review the work of the recently completed law year and plan for the upcoming Law Term, which starts in September.
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court was established in 1967 by the West Indies Associated States Supreme Court Order No. 223 of 1967 and it is the superior court of record for nine Member States, six independent namely, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and three British Overseas Territories namely, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat.
According to the Courts website, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has unlimited jurisdiction in the Member States, in accordance with the respective Supreme Court Acts. Section 17 of the Courts Order, empowers the Chief Justice and two judges of the Supreme Court, selected by the Chief Justice, to make rules of court for regulating the practice and procedure of the Court of Appeal and the High Court.
Also, National Legislation in the countries served by the Court, confers rule-making authority on the Chief Justice in relation to matters outside the Court of Appeal and the High Court.
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court is composed of the Chief Justice, who is the Head of the Judiciary, three (3) Justices of Appeal, thirteen (13) High Court Judges and two (2) Masters. Judicial appointments, except that of the Chief Justice, who is appointed by Her Majesty, are made by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.
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| The Sir Lee L. Moore Legal and Judicial Services Complex on East Independence Square. |
To qualify for appointment as a Justice of Appeal, a person must be or have been a judge of a court of unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from such court for an aggregate of at least five years, or a person who is qualified to practice as an advocate in such a court and has so practiced for an aggregate of at least fifteen years.
To qualify for appointment as a High Court Judge, a person must be or have been a judge of a court of unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from such court, or a person who is qualified to practise as an advocate in such a court and has so practised for an aggregate of at least ten years.
To qualify for appointment as a Master, a person must be qualified to practise as an advocate and has so practised for an aggregate of at least ten years in a court of unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from such court.
The Court sits in two divisions: the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Justice Trial Division. The four-member Court of Appeal is itinerant and sits in each member state to hear appeals. There are thirteen High Court Judges who are assigned as Resident Judges in the various member states. The Trial Courts sit throughout the year. Criminal Assizes convene in each jurisdiction on dates specified by statute.
The Court of Appeal hears appeals from the decisions of the High Court and Magistrates Courts in member states in both the Civil and the Criminal matters. The Court of Appeal also hears appeals from the Industrial Court in Antigua and Barbuda and the Administrative Tribunals in the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat. Appeals are heard by a Full Court comprising three Justices of Appeal or by a single Justice of Appeal in Chambers.
Each Member Territory has its own High Court, which in addition to the High Court Registry, houses the Office of the local High Court Judge. The 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. Filing in the Registries commences the proceedings in matters before the High Court in each of the nine territories.
