In a historic step for regional judicial accessibility, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is set to launch its 2026/2027 Judicial Year by bringing its official proceedings on-the-ground to St. Lucia next week. From October 7 to 8, the court will hold public sittings in the island nation — a first for St. Lucia since the CCJ established its itinerant hearing program more than 20 years ago.
St. Lucia only joined the CCJ’s Appellate Jurisdiction framework in 2023, becoming the fifth CARICOM member state to accept the court’s appellate authority alongside founding participants Barbados, Belize, Guyana, and Jamaica. The upcoming visit marks a key milestone in the country’s integration into the regional judicial system.
Unlike most high courts that concentrate all proceedings at a single central headquarters, the CCJ’s unique itinerant model enables its panel of judges to travel directly to member states to hear cases. This framework was designed to address a longstanding barrier to justice across the geographically dispersed Caribbean region: by holding hearings locally, the court cuts down on steep travel expenses for legal representatives and litigants, and brings the judicial process closer to communities that would otherwise struggle to engage with the regional court.
CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson emphasized that the travelling sittings offer a second critical benefit: they give local residents a rare first-hand look at how the regional court operates, creating space for direct interaction between community members and the court’s judicial members. This transparency, Anderson noted, helps build public trust in the regional justice system.
For the St. Lucia session, the full complement of seven CCJ judges will convene to hear three distinct cases originating from St. Lucia, Guyana, and Belize respectively. The court will also deliver formal rulings on two ongoing legal matters from Belize during the visit.
Beyond the courtroom, the CCJ delegation has scheduled a series of official courtesy meetings with St. Lucia’s top government and judicial leaders. These include talks with Acting Governor-General Felix Finisterre, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Chief Justice Margaret Price Findlay of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Attorney General Leslie Vincent Mondesir, and Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet. The meetings are expected to strengthen collaboration between the CCJ and St. Lucia’s national judicial and governance institutions.
For those unable to attend the proceedings in person, the CCJ has opened multiple public access channels to follow the sittings remotely. All hearings will be streamed online via the court’s official website, its social media platforms, and its YouTube channel. Full case details and the complete hearing schedule are also posted publicly in the Judgments and Proceedings section of the CCJ’s official website for legal practitioners and interested members of the public.