Caribbean Community Law and the Caribbean Court of Justice

Course Description

This course explores the institutional and governance components of CARICOM, in particular the various treaty organs and bodies established by the RTC, which play an integral role in the operation of the legal framework governing economic integration. It considers the CCJ as an international court, as well as an understanding of how CARICOM and the CCJ are situated within the broader framework of international law and the global trading system. It then examines select aspects of substantive Caribbean Community law, focussing in particular on the norms developed in the CCJ’s case law thus far pertaining to free movement of goods and services; the operation of the common external tariff on extra-regional imports, as well as the rules regarding customs duties and other charges on goods of CARICOM origin.  The course will also examine select aspects of procedural Community Law, including issues pertaining to who can sue and be sued under the original jurisdiction of the CCJ; the various types of proceedings under the CCJ’s original jurisdiction; the CCJ’s Rules of Procedure; case management and advocacy.