On Tuesday, 3 June 2025, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will convene a Ceremonial Sitting at Queen’s Hall, Port of Spain, Trinidad to honour the distinguished service of the Honourable Mr Justice Adrian Saunders, outgoing President of the Court. The Sitting will commemorate Mr Justice Saunders’ retirement from office after almost three decades of dedicated service to the Caribbean including 20 years at the CCJ, seven years of which he served as the Court’s third President. His tenure ends on 3 July 2025.
Reflecting on the occasion, he stated, ‘it is truly an honour to have served the people of the Caribbean for almost thirty years. Both at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and here at the CCJ, I have had the privilege of working alongside a distinguished panel of judges and a committed team of staff, all of whom share an unwavering dedication to justice, regional development, and institutional excellence.’
Mr Justice Saunders is a native of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the first citizen of the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States to serve on the Bench. He began his judicial career in 1996 with his appointment to the High Court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC). He was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2003 and served as the acting Chief Justice between 2004 and 2005.
During his tenure at the ECSC, he was deeply involved in judicial reform initiatives, including the introduction of court-connected mediation and the development of the Court’s first Judicial Code of Ethics. In 1998, he earned a Fellowship of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute (CJEI). He was the Course Director of the CJEI’s Intensive Study Programme for several years and is currently one of the Institute’s Vice Presidents. Due to his active engagement in advancing judicial integrity, Mr Justice Saunders was also appointed to serve on the Advisory Board of the Global Judicial Integrity Network by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
In 2005, Mr Justice Saunders became one of the inaugural judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). He is a founding member of the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO) which provides judicial education for judicial officers throughout the region and served as the Association’s Chairman from its inception in 2009 to 2019. In 2018, he was appointed President of the CCJ and has served for approximately seven years, the maximum term allowed for Presidents of the Court. As President, he led the development of the Court’s Strategic Plans and was instrumental in enhancing the Court’s administrative structure and public outreach.
The Special Sitting, like all CCJ hearings and judgment deliveries, will be live streamed on the Court’s YouTube page and can be viewed here: Special Sitting for the Hon. Mr Justice Adrian Saunders