…launches 2019 Rules of Court for original, appellate jurisdictions

THE Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Tuesday celebrated 14 years of operation and marked the occasion with the launch of its 2019 Rules of Court for the Original and Appellate Jurisdictions.

In a release CCJ said it was marking the occasion with activities throughout the week. 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. The judges and the staff of the CCJ held a small ceremony to celebrate the anniversary and to witness the signing of the Rules.

Additionally, 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. It is hoped that there will be similar initiatives with other newspapers throughout the region.

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,” Justice Saunders said.

He noted 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,” the CCJ President added.

The CCJ will also reveal a new design for its website which can be found at www.ccj.org, during the week. The new design will reflect a modern aesthetic and features will also include an enhanced search for judgments and a new Court calendar on the homepage.

The Court will welcome the public to its headquarters in Port of Spain on Wednesday, April 17. Guided tours will commence at 09:00 hours and conclude at 15:00 hours. Information about the Court will be shared, with 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 cannot be in Port of Spain.

Throughout the week, the CCJ will share information about the Court on its social media platforms on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. The celebratory activities will close on April 18 when the CCJ will answer questions from the public on various platforms. There will be a particular focus to sharing information on the CCJ’s social media platforms, on Thursday,

April 18, when the CCJ’s social media platform will provide answers to questions submitted on social media and through an email address, info@ccj.org. Members of the public are invited to pose questions directly to representatives from the CCJ.

The week of activities to mark the anniversary began with a Media Open Day on April 13. Representatives from the media were invited to meet with, and hear from, the CCJ’s President and Judges, as well as invited presenters, where they learned about the Court and posed questions to the panel.