From Tuesday, 7 to Wednesday, 8 October 2026, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will convene sittings in Saint Lucia to commemorate the Opening of the Judicial Year 2026/2027.
A release yesterday from the CCJ said that for the first time in the Court’s 21-year history, Saint Lucia will host itinerant sittings, previously held in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, and Jamaica. In 2023, St Lucia became the fifth Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member State to accede to the CCJ’s Appellate Jurisdiction.
The sittings will be held in the aftermath of a stunning division in the court which spilled into the open after email threads were leaked to the Trinidad Express newspaper in August. The leaks revealed that some judges were disaffected with the conduct of the President of the court, Justice Winston Anderson. A series of matters was then to be addressed by Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission but there has been no further word from that body since August 10th and there has been no disclosure on the resolution of any of the issues that have arisen in the court.
Amid the controversy there were also revelations about the attempt last year October by Justice Anderson to secure the confirmation in Guyana of substantive appointments to the positions of Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice. This also evoked consternation in Georgetown.
The release yesterday said that the itinerant nature of the CCJ allows the Court to sit and conduct court proceedings in any country that is a party to the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice.
While in Saint Lucia, the release said that the full, seven-member CCJ Bench will hear three matters originating from Saint Lucia, Guyana, and Belize, respectively. The Court will also deliver judgments in two matters from Belize.
Members of the public are invited to view the livestream of the itinerant sittings on the Court’s website, social media and YouTube pages. Details of the matters to be heard are also available in the Schedule of Court Sittings on the CCJ’s website, under the Judgments and Proceedings portal at www.ccj.org.
Discussion