Legal System of Barbados

Barbados is located in Central America N Caribbean. It is geographically situated in caribbean, island in the north atlantic ocean, northeast of venezuela. The country achieved independence on 30 november 1966 (from the uk). The capital is Bridgetown.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm Chief of State: President Jeffrey Davidson BOSTIC (since 30 November 2025) Head of Government: Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister Administrative Divisions: 11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas National Holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Barbados is described as english common law; no judicial review of legislative acts International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: adopted 22 November 1966, effective 30 November 1966; Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2021 establishes Barbados as a republic and revokes the earlier Order in Council Amendment Process: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments to constitutional sections such as citizenship, fundamental rights and freedoms, and the organization and authorities of the branches of government requires two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses of Parliament; passage of other amendments only requires a majority vote of both houses

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the High Court with 8 justices) and the Court of Appeal (consists of the High Court chief justice and president of the court and 4 justices; Caribbean Court of Justice is the final court of appeal Judge Selection: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister and opposition leader of Parliament; other justices appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, a 5-member independent body consisting of the Supreme Court chief justice, the commission head, and presidential appointees recommended by the prime minister; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 65 Subordinate Courts: Magistrates’ Courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Note: note: tradition dictates that the next election is held within 5 years of the last election, but constitutionally it is 5 years from the first seating of Parliament plus a 90-day grace period Lower Chamber: House of Assembly (30 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): plurality/majority Upper Chamber: Senate

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: yes Citizenship by Descent: yes Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

Barbados was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Enslaved Africans worked the sugar plantations established on the island, which initially dominated the Caribbean sugar industry. By 1720, Barbados was no longer a dominant force within the sugar industry, having been surpassed by the Leeward Islands and Jamaica. Slavery was abolished in 1834. The Barbadian economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Barbados based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.