The High Court is the superior trial court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court sitting in this state, with resident judges based in Saint George's. Its constitutional jurisdiction carries a distinctive history: the courts had to work out the legal status of acts done under the People's Laws between 1979 and 1991, when the Constitution was suspended. Constitutional motions, judicial review of government action and jury trials for indictable offences all begin here.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- first instance
- Court type
- Superior court of unlimited jurisdiction
- Jurisdiction
- Unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction at first instance, constitutional claims, admiralty and probate. Serious criminal charges are tried before a judge and jury.
- Seat
- Saint George's
- Established
- 1967
- Composition
- Resident High Court judges, sitting alone in civil matters and with a jury for indictable crime.
- Appointment
- Judges are appointed by the OECS Judicial and Legal Services Commission and may be posted between member states.
- Languages
- English
Where an appeal goes next
Appeal to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.
Filing at this court
- E-filing
- Mandatory through the ECSC e-litigation portal
- Constitutional claim
- Fixed-date claim form supported by affidavit
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