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🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda · first-instance court

Magistrates' Courts

Reviewed· 2026-08-03Saint John's

The courts where the overwhelming majority of cases begin and end. Courts sit in Saint John's and at All Saints, with a separate sitting on Barbuda. Magistrates also conduct preliminary enquiries to decide whether an indictable charge should be sent to the superior court for trial.

How the court is constituted

Tier
first instance
Court type
Court of summary jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Summary criminal offences, preliminary enquiries into indictable charges, small civil claims, and family and maintenance matters.
Seat
Saint John's
Composition
Magistrates sitting alone, without a jury.
Languages
English

Where an appeal goes next

Appeal to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.

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