The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) celebrates 14 years of operations on Tuesday, April 16 and its President Justice Adrian Saunders says there is much to be proud of.
“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.”
Today, to commemorate the actual day of the anniversary, the CCJ launched its 2019 Rules of Court for the Original and Appellate Jurisdictions. 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 CCJ President also noted that the court 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.”
A brochure with information about the Court was inserted in one of the daily newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago and that may be replicated with other newspapers throughout the region going forward.
The CCJ will also reveal a new design for its website, at www.ccj.org, during the week. The new design reflects a modern aesthetic and includes an enhanced search for judgments and a new court calendar.
The court welcomes the public to its headquarters in Port of Spain on Wednesday, April 17 with guided tours that start at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. 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 also be shared online.
Throughout the week, the CCJ will share information on its social media platforms on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
The celebratory activities will close on April 18 when the CCJ’s social media platforms will be used to provide answers to questions submitted on social media and through the email address, info@ccj.org. Members of the public are invited to pose questions directly to representatives from the CCJ.
The week of activities began with a Media Open Day on the April 13 when representatives from the media were invited to meet with, and hear from, the CCJ’s President and Judges, as well as invited presenters, to learn more about the Court and posed questions to the panel.
