Leaders from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have formally approved a landmark policy change that will raise the mandatory retirement age for judges of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) from 65 to 70 years old. The decision was reached during a two-day annual OECS summit that concluded in Antigua on Monday, following in-depth consultations with the court’s top leadership.
Gaston Browne, chairman of the OECS and Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, confirmed that the proposal originated directly from discussions with ECSC Chief Justice Madam Justice Margaret Price-Findlay. According to Browne, the push for an extended retirement age comes amid a persistent, challenging gap in judicial recruitment that has strained the regional court system for years.
“When our most experienced judges retire at 65, we struggle to quickly find qualified replacements with the same level of expertise and institutional knowledge,” Browne explained, referencing the ongoing recruitment challenges the court has faced.
The heads of government across all OECS member states unanimously backed the Chief Justice’s recommendation, Browne confirmed, adding that legal and administrative amendments to implement the change are expected to be finalized and rolled out over the coming weeks and months.
As the highest superior court of record for the Eastern Caribbean bloc, the ECSC holds jurisdiction over all civil and criminal legal matters across nine Caribbean territories: six independent sovereign nations (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Kitts and Nevis) and three British Overseas Territories (Montserrat, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands). Headquartered in Castries, St. Lucia, the court operates through two core divisions: the High Court of Justice, which serves as the court of first instance for trials and initial hearings across each member territory, and the itinerant Court of Appeal, which travels between islands to hear appeals from both the High Court and local magistrate courts.
The policy shift is designed to preserve institutional expertise, reduce caseload backlogs that stem from prolonged judicial vacancies, and provide greater stability for the regional judicial system that serves more than 600,000 people across the Eastern Caribbean.