JUSTICE Adrian Dudley Saunders, a citizen of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been appointed as the incoming President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, with effect from July 4, 2018.

In a release, the CCJ said the Heads of Government of CARICOM, acting on the nomination of the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commisison (RJLSC), made the appointment at its last meeting which was held in Haiti from February 26-27, 2018.
The RJLSC had selected Mr. Justice Saunders after a competitive merit-based process. Justice Saunders will replace Sir Dennis Byron, the current president.

President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the Right Honourable Sir Dennis Byron, said, “Justice Saunders’ appointment to be the incoming President of the Court has been greeted with pleasure by the entire Bench of the Court. He has served with distinction and has exhibited qualities of excellence, sharp intellect, strong moral values, leadership skills and encyclopaedic knowledge for the law tempered by things Caribbean”.

Mr. Justice Saunders is Chairman of the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO). He is also the Course Director of the Halifax-based Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute. Mr. Justice Saunders has also co-authored the book, Fundamentals of Caribbean Constitutional Law. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill) in 1975 and the Legal Education Certificate of the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad & Tobago in 1977.

He was called to the Bar of St. Vincent & the Grenadines in that same year. Mr. Justice Saunders remained in private practice as a barrister and solicitor from 1977 until 1996 when he was appointed as a Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC). In 2003, he was confirmed as a Justice of Appeal of the ECSC and one year later he was appointed to act as Chief Justice of that Court. Mr. Justice Saunders was appointed a Judge of the CCJ in 2005.