CARIBBEAN-JUDICIARY-Chief Justice urges the promotion of public trust in the judicial system in OECS.

THE VALLEY, Anguilla, The Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC), Dame Janice M. Pereira, is urging judicial officials in the sub-region to promote public confidence in the system as a new law term opened here on Tuesday.

The ECSC marked the commencement of the new term with its traditional ceremonial opening proceedings under the theme “The ECSC: Navigating the Changing Tides.”

The event was hosted by Anguilla, where the first scheduled sitting for the Court of Appeal for 2023 will take place. The jurisdiction of the ECSC includes Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands. It has unlimited jurisdiction in each member State.

In her address, Justice Pereira said the public’s trust and confidence give courts legitimacy to dispense justice, making references to delays.

“When members of the public lose faith in the institution of the judiciary and its authority, they are more likely to take matters into their own hands. This is an undesirable state of affairs and must be avoided at all costs”.

She said the question is, “how can we as judicial officers, as members of the legal profession, be more responsive to what is emerging as a growling lack of confidence in the system’s ability to meet the needs of ordinary people?

“In my view, we must do all that we can to promote public trust and confidence in the work that we do each day by continuing to perform the duties of your office faithfully, be it on the bench or at the bar,” the Chief Justice said.

She said that the theme for this year’s ceremonial opening “recognizes the resilience of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and its enduring commitment to reforming its processes and procedures, broadening the avenue by which the people of our sub-region can access justice.”

She said, reflecting on changes over the past year, “I cannot help but recall the popular saying the difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them.”

She said 2022 was a busy year for the court, with case statistics showing that “although there is continued productivity, there are also existing challenges which continue to impact the due administration of justice adversely.”