Introduction

The Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC) was established by the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice (the Agreement). The Heads of Government of the Contracting Parties signed this Agreement in February 2001. It entered into force on 23rd July 2003 when a third country, Republic of Guyana, deposited its Instrument of Ratification following Saint Lucia and Barbados.

Composition

In Article V (1) the Agreement sets out the composition of the Commission, as nominees from the regional entities or, in two cases, representatives of permanent organs of Member States.

“There is hereby established a Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission which shall consist of the following persons:

(a) The President who shall be the Chairman of the Commission;

(b) Two persons nominated jointly by the Organization of the Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Association (OCCBA) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Bar Association;

(c) One chairman of the Judicial Services Commission of a Contracting Party selected in rotation in the English alphabetical order for a period of three years;

(d) The Chairman of a Public Service Commission of a Contracting Party selected in rotation in the reverse English alphabetical order for a period of three years;

(e) Two persons from civil society nominated jointly by the Secretary?General of the Community and the Director General of the OECS for a period of three years following consultations with regional non?governmental organizations;

(f) Two distinguished jurists nominated jointly by the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of the West Indies, the Deans of the Faculties of Law of any of the Contracting Parties and the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education; and

(g) Two persons nominated jointly by the Bar or Law Associations of the Contracting Parties.”

After consultations with the appropriate entities the first members of the Commission were identified and took office from 20th August 2003. Following the sequence of Article V (1) (b) – (g) above, these persons are:

Article VI (2) (a) of the Agreement limits the term of office of the members of this first Commission to one year, subject to the discretion of the nominating entity to renew its nominee’s appointment for another term. Under Article V (4) the term of office of future Commissioners will be three years.