The CCJ is the regional court of last resort, seated in Port of Spain and funded through a trust fund designed to insulate it from the budgets of member states. Saint Lucia acceded to the appellate jurisdiction, ending appeals to the Privy Council, and its accession is notable because the CCJ must now apply a codified civil law of obligations alongside common-law procedure. Unlike the Privy Council it sits in the region, hears appeals in person or by video link at no filing cost to the appellant in many cases, and has developed a distinctly Caribbean jurisprudence on constitutional savings clauses and the death penalty.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- international
- Court type
- Final appellate court
- Jurisdiction
- Final appeal in civil and criminal matters from this state, replacing the Privy Council. Also exercises an original jurisdiction over the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas binding on all CARICOM members.
- Seat
- Port of Spain
- Established
- 2005
- Composition
- The President and up to nine other judges, appointed from across the region and beyond; appeals are usually heard by five.
- Appointment
- Judges are appointed by an independent Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission, not by governments — the President alone requires a qualified majority vote of member states.
- Languages
- English
Where an appeal goes next
No further appeal. The Court's judgment is final.
Filing at this court
- Leave to appeal
- As of right for certain final decisions; otherwise by leave of the Court of Appeal or special leave of the CCJ.
- E-filing
- Appeals are filed through the CCJ e-filing portal
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