The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will take its proceedings on the road to St Lucia next week as the Court marks the opening of its 2026/2027 Judicial Year.
The CCJ said via press release that it will hold sittings in St Lucia from Tuesday, October 7 to Wednesday, October 8, marking the first time the country will host the Court since it began its itinerant sittings more than two decades ago.
St Lucia became the fifth CARICOM member state to accept the CCJ’s Appellate Jurisdiction in 2023, joining Barbados, Belize, Guyana and Jamaica.
The Court’s itinerant system allows its judges to conduct proceedings in member countries rather than having all matters heard at its headquarters. The arrangement is intended to make the Court more accessible to people across the Caribbean while also helping to reduce travel costs for lawyers and litigants.
CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson said the travelling sittings also give people an opportunity to see the Court operating in their own communities and interact directly with its members.
During the St Lucia visit, the full seven-member Bench will hear three cases, with matters originating in St Lucia, Guyana and Belize. The Court is also scheduled to hand down judgments in two Belizean matters.
The CCJ said it will use the visit for a series of courtesy calls with senior officials, including Acting Governor-General Felix Finisterre, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Margaret Price Findlay, Attorney General Leslie Vincent Mondesir and Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet.
Members of the public will be able to follow the proceedings online through the CCJ’s website, social media platforms and YouTube channel.
Details of the cases scheduled for hearing are available through the Court’s Schedule of Court Sittings under the Judgments and Proceedings section of the CCJ website.
