The chief justice of Trinidad and Tobago is the highest judge of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and presides over its Supreme Court of Judicature.[1] He is appointed by a common decision of the president, the prime minister and the leader of the main opposition party.[1]
History
editTobago was claimed for England already by King James I in 1608, however in the following time saw varying rulers.[2] In 1794, a planter was elected the first chief justice.[3] The island was eventually ceded to the United Kingdom in 1814 at the Treaty of Paris[4] and from 1833 it was assigned to the colony of the British Windward Islands.[5]
In 1797 Trinidad, who had been previously controlled by the Spanish Crown, was captured by a fleet commanded by Sir Ralph Abercromby and thus came under British government.[6] The post of a chief justice was established in March of the same year.[7] Both islands, Trinidad and Tobago were incorporated into a single colony in 1888, which gained its independence in 1962.[8]
Chief justices of Tobago
edit- 1794–1799: John Balfour[3] (non-lawyer)
- 1799–1804: Robert Paterson [9] (non-lawyer)
- 1805–1828 ?: Elphinstone Pigott
- 1828–1832 No appointment
- 1832–1833: Richard Newton Bennett[10]
- 1833–? G. Buchanan [11] - substitute for Robert Sympson Jameson
- 1840–1841: Robert Nicholas Fynn[12]
- 1841–1861: Edward Dyer Sanderson[13]
- 1862–1867: Henry Iles Woodcock[14]
- 1868–1880: Joseph King Wattley, Jnr [15]
- 1880–1882: James Sherrard Armstrong[16]
- 1882–1888: John Worrell Carrington[17]
Chief judges of Trinidad
edit- 1797–1808: John Nihell[7]
- 1808–1811: George Smith[18]
- 1814–1818: John Thomas Bigge[19]
- 1818–1830: Ashton Warner[20]
Chief justices of Trinidad
edit- 1669–?: Juan Fermin de Huidobro [21]
- 1832–1849: George Scotland[19]
- 1849–1869: William George Knox[22]
- 1870–1885: Joseph Needham[23]
- 1886–1888: Sir John Gorrie[24]
Chief justices of Trinidad and Tobago
edit- 1888–1892: Sir John Gorrie[25]
- 1892–1899: John Tankerville Goldney[26]
- 1900–1903: Sir William John Anderson[27]
- 1903–1907: Ernest Augustus Northcote[28]
- 1908–1924: Alfred van Waterschoodt Lucie-Smith[29]
- 1924–1926: Sir Stanley Fisher[30] (afterwards Chief Justice of Ceylon, 1926)
- 1927–1930: Sir Philip James Macdonell[31] (afterwards Chief Justice of Ceylon, 1930)
- 1930–1937: Charles Frederic Belcher[32]
- 1937–1943: Charles Cyril Gerahty[33]
- 1943–1946: Henry William Butler Blackall[34]
- 1946–1952: Cecil Furness-Smith[35]
- 1952–1958: Joseph Leon Mathieu Perez[36]
- 1958–1960: Stanley Eugene Gomes[37] (afterwards Chief Justice of the West Indies Federation, 1961)
- 1961–1962: Arthur Hugh McShine (acting) [38]
- 1962 - Trinidad and Tobago became the independent
- 1962–1968: Sir Hugh Olliviere Beresford Wooding[39]
- 1969–1970: Arthur Hugh McShine[38]
- 1970–1971: Clement Phillips (acting) [40]
- 1972–1983: Sir Isaac Hyatali[41]
- 1976 - Trinidad and Tobago is declared as the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
- 1983–1985: Cecil Kelsick[42]
- 1985–1995: Clinton Bernard[43]
- 1995–2002: Michael de la Bastide[44]
- 2002–2008: Satnarine Sharma[45]
- 2008–present: Ivor Archie[46]
Notes
edit- ^ a b "Attacks on Justice - Trinidad and Tobago" (PDF). International Commission of Jurists. p. 358. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ^ Hart (1866), p. 238
- ^ a b Laurence (1995), p. 55
- ^ Woodcock (1867), p. 75
- ^ Woodcock (1867), p. 82
- ^ Millett (1985), p. 46
- ^ a b Millett (1985), p. 47
- ^ Nolan (2002), p. 1694
- ^ Tobago in Wartime, 1793-1815. p. 77.
- ^ O'Connell (1972), p. 21
- ^ The Royal Kalendar and Court and City Register for England, Scotland, Ireland and the Colonies, 1933. p. 463.
- ^ "No. 19901". The London Gazette. 6 October 1840. p. 2203.
- ^ "No. 19973". The London Gazette. 27 April 1841. p. 1079.
- ^ "No. 22591". The London Gazette. 21 January 1862. p. 334.
- ^ Modern English Biography: (Supplement v.1-3). p. 2273.
- ^ Rose (1888), p. 325
- ^ "No. 25086". The London Gazette. 21 March 1882. p. 1282.
- ^ Millett (1985), p. 230
- ^ a b Joseph (1970), p. 113
- ^ Hart (1866), p. 198
- ^ Marley, David. Pirates of the Americas, Volume 1. p. 139.
- ^ "No. 21006". The London Gazette. 7 August 1849. p. 2451.
- ^ "No. 23600". The London Gazette. 22 March 1870. p. 1833.
- ^ Brereton (1997), p. 231
- ^ Brereton (1997), p. 259
- ^ "No. 26317". The London Gazette. 16 August 1892. p. 4657.
- ^ "No. 27173". The London Gazette. 13 March 1900. p. 1709.
- ^ "No. 27617". The London Gazette. 17 November 1903. p. 7030.
- ^ "No. 28161". The London Gazette. 24 July 1908. p. 5420.
- ^ "No. 32983". The London Gazette. 17 October 1924. p. 7506.
- ^ "No. 33243". The London Gazette. 28 January 1927. p. 578.
- ^ "No. 33658". The London Gazette. 4 November 1930. p. 6945.
- ^ "No. 34397". The London Gazette. 11 May 1937. p. 3108.
- ^ "No. 35897". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 February 1943. p. 717.
- ^ "No. 37755". The London Gazette. 11 October 1946. p. 5038.
- ^ "No. 39537". The London Gazette. 9 May 1952. p. 2508.
- ^ "No. 41557". The London Gazette. 25 November 1958. p. 7215.
- ^ a b Comma (1973), p. 193
- ^ Comma (1973), p. 280
- ^ "The Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago : Supreme Court : Who's Who : Chief Justices". Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ Comma (1973), p. 33
- ^ Yawching (1991), p. 189
- ^ Yawching (1991), p. 83
- ^ West (2001), p. 732
- ^ "Appointment of Chief Justice" (PDF). Trinidad and Tobago Gazette. No. 135. 15 July 2002. p. 7593. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ^ "Appointment of Chief Justice" (PDF). Trinidad and Tobago Gazette. No. 9. 24 January 2008. p. 55. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
References
edit- Millett, James (1985). Society and Politics in Colonial Trinidad. Omega. ISBN 0-86232-421-1.
- Joseph, Edward Lanzer (1970). History of Trinidad. Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-1939-6.
- Hart, Daniel (1866). Trinidad and the other West India Islands and Colonies. Trinidad: The Chronicle Publishing Office.
- Brereton, Bridget (1997). Law, Justice and Empire: The Colonial Career of John Gorrie, 1829–1892. Kingston, Jamaica: Press University of the West Indies. ISBN 976-640-035-0.
- Comma, Carlton N. (1973). Who's Who in Trinidad and Tobago 1972–1973. Port of Spain: Carib Printers Ltd.
- Yawching, Donna (1991). Who's Who and Handbook of Trinidad and Tobago. Inprint Caribbean Ltd. ISBN 976-608-038-0.
- Jacqueline West, ed. (2001). South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2002. London: Europe Publications. ISBN 1-85743-121-9.
- Nolan, Cathal J. (2002). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations S-Z. Vol. IV. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-32383-6.
- Woodcock, Henry Iles (1867). A History of Tobago. Ayr: Smith and Grant.
- Laurence, Keith Ormiston (1995). Tobago in Wartime, 1793–1815. Kingston, Jamaica: Press University of the West Indies. ISBN 976-640-003-2.
- Daniel O'Connell & Maurice R. O'Connell (1972). Irish Manuscripts Commission (ed.). The Correspondence of Daniel O'Connell: 1792–1814. Vol. I. Kingston, Jamaica: Irish University Press. ISBN 0-7165-0208-9.
- Rose, George Maclean (1888). A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography. Vol. II. Rose Publishing Co.
External links
edit- "Judiciary of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago". Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2009.