ECSC Makes Judicial Progress, Plans to Improve Public Awareness

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) commenced the 2025 law year on Friday, reporting notable progress in enhancing justice delivery. However, Acting Chief Justice Mario Michel acknowledged that pressing challenges remain for the regional judicial body. Hosted at the National Cultural Centre in Saint Lucia, under the theme Accessibility and Awareness – The ECSC Bridging the Gap Through Community Engagement, the ceremonial sitting celebrated the court’s achievements while also highlighting areas of concern.  Justice Michel, a former Minister of Education in Saint Lucia, identified the transformation driven by technology as one of the court’s key accomplishments. He explained that the maturation of the electronic litigation system, introduced six years ago, combined with the support of artificial intelligence, has significantly improved the court’s capacity to deliver justice efficiently.  Using statistics from 2023 – noting that 2024 information was not yet available – Justice Michel said a dent was being made in the backlog of cases, which was demonstrated by the overall 100 per cent case clearance rate in ECSC’s High Court. “A total of 454 matters were filed in the Court of Appeal in 2023. The Court of Appeal heard 324 matters in the full court sittings and 499 matters in...