The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) yesterday celebrated 14 years of its operations and is marking this occasion with activities throughout the week, a release from the court said.
In commemoration of the actual day of the anniversary, the CCJ launched its 2019 Rules of Court for the Original and Appellate Jurisdictions which saw the judges and the staff of the CCJ holding a small ceremony to celebrate the anniversary and to witness the signing of the Rules.
The Rules of the Court are reviewed every two years and the revisions help to further reduce delay, ensure greater clarity and support advances in court administration. In addition, a brochure containing information about the Court was inserted in one of the daily newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago to allow people an opportunity to learn about the Court and with the hope that other regional newspapers would pursue similar initiatives.
The President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders stated, “The CCJ has much to be proud of in its 14 years. In 2018, we delivered our highest number of judgments in a year in the Appellate Jurisdiction, 34 in total, and we tried seven cases filed in the Original Jurisdiction, where we generally had two each year. The increased use of the CCJ seems to reflect growing confidence in the Court and a recognition that we play an important role in the Caribbean.”
He added that the Court also launched its Strategic Plan which will direct activities over the next five years. “One of the strategic issues identified, when we were gathering data to inform the plan, was the need for increased communication. With CCJ Week, we are beginning to provide our stakeholders with increased information while we continue to produce excellent work in our judicial area.”
During the week, the CCJ will also reveal a new design for its website, which can be found at www.ccj.org. The new design will reflect a modern aesthetic as well as include an enhanced search for judgments and a new Court calendar on the homepage.
The week of activities to mark the anniversary began with a Media Open Day on the 13th of April. Representatives from the media were invited to meet with, and hear from, the CCJ’s President and Judges and invited presenters, where they learned about the Court and posed questions to the panel.
The public is welcome to visit the Court at its headquarters in Port of Spain today. Guided tours start at 9 am and conclude at 3 pm. Information about the Court will be shared, and there will be an interactive tour of the courtroom and a demonstration of the technology that underpins the Court. Elements of the tour will be shared online for those who are unable to attend. The celebratory activities will close on Thursday 18th where the CCJ will focus on sharing information and answering questions from the public on various social media platforms. The CCJ will also provide answers to questions submitted, through an email address – info@ccj.org. Members of the public are invited to pose questions directly to representatives from the CCJ.
