On Friday, 12th January 2024, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court will mark the commencement of the New Law Year with its traditional Ceremonial Opening proceedings under the theme “Innovation and Justice Reform” - The ECSC Looking to the Future. This year, the host Member State is Grenada, where the first scheduled sitting for the Court of Appeal for 2024 will occur.

The Ceremonial Opening will commence with a church service in most Member States and Territories, followed by the procession to the High Court, where the formal Special Sitting of the Court will be held.  In the Territory of the Virgin Islands, the Church Service will be held at the Apostolic Faith Church, Road Town, Tortola, commencing at 8:00 a.m.  This will be followed by the gathering moving to the Civil Court Room, 4th Floor, Sakal Building for the Special Sitting to mark the Opening of the Law Year. The Special Sitting  will commence at 10:00 a.m.

Similar to the past three years, there will be one Special Sitting throughout the 9 Member States and Territories. The Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Dame Janice M. Pereira, DBE, LL.D, will deliver the feature address, appearing live from the Court in Grenada along with the other speakers from the various Member States and Territories of the Eastern Caribbean.

The Special Sitting will be streamed live to the other Member States and Territories via the Grenada Information Services media platforms and social media pages to the other Member States and Territories of the OECS. It will also be live-streamed via the Court’s Website and Facebook Page, the websites and social media pages of the Government Information Services in each Member State and Territory and UWITV.

The public is encouraged to participate in the Ceremonial Opening of the Law Year 2024 by attending either the church service or the Special Sitting or by watching and listening on the various media platforms.

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) was established in 1967 by the West Indies Associated States Supreme Court Order No. 223 of 1967. The (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and three British Overseas Territories (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, and Montserrat). It has unlimited jurisdiction in each Member State.

To learn more about the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC), please visit our website @ https://www.eccourts.org/ or call us at Tel: 758-457-3600