Legal System of Grenada

Grenada is located in Central America N Caribbean. It is geographically situated in caribbean, island between the caribbean sea and atlantic ocean, north of trinidad and tobago. The country achieved independence on 7 february 1974 (from the uk). The capital is Saint George’s.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm Chief of State: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Cecile LA GRENADE (since 7 May 2013) Head of Government: Prime Minister Dickon MITCHELL (since 24 June 2022) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister Administrative Divisions: 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick National Holiday: Independence Day, 7 February (1974) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Grenada is described as common law based on English model International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 1967; latest presented 19 December 1973, effective 7 February 1974, suspended 1979 following a revolution but restored in 1983 Amendment Process: proposed by either house of Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the membership in both houses and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments to constitutional sections, such as personal rights and freedoms, the structure, authorities, and procedures of the branches of government, the delimitation of electoral constituencies, or the procedure for amending the constitution, also requires two-thirds majority approval in a referendum

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): regionally, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC is headquartered on St. Lucia and consists of the Court of Appeal – headed by the chief justice and 4 judges – and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal travels to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts  Judge Selection: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the British monarch; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and independent body of judicial officials; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 Subordinate Courts: magistrates’ courts; Court of Magisterial Appeals

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Lower Chamber: House of Representatives (15 (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

The indigenous Carib people inhabited Grenada when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export.

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