Legal System of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago is located in Central America N Caribbean. It is geographically situated in caribbean, islands between the caribbean sea and the north atlantic ocean, northeast of venezuela. The country achieved independence on 31 august 1962 (from the uk). The capital is Port of Spain.
Government Overview
Government Type: parliamentary republic
Chief of State: President Christine KANGALOO (since 20 March 2023)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Kamla Susheila PERSAD-BISSESSAR (since 1 May 2025)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among members of Parliament
Administrative Divisions: 9 regions, 3 boroughs, 2 cities, 1 ward
regions: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco
borough: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin
cities: Port of Spain, San Fernando
ward: Tobago
National Holiday: Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of Trinidad and Tobago is described as english common law; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: previous 1962; latest 1976 Amendment Process: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, such as human rights and freedoms or citizenship, requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses and assent of the president; passage of amendments, such as the powers and authorities of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, and the procedure for amending the constitution, requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the House membership, two-thirds majority vote by the Senate membership, and assent of the president
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of the Judicature (consists of a chief justice for both the Court of Appeal with 12 judges and the High Court with 24 judges) Judge Selection: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the parliamentary leader of the opposition; other judges appointed by the Judicial Legal Services Commission, headed by the chief justice and 5 members with judicial experience; all judges serve for life with mandatory retirement normally at age 65 Subordinate Courts: Courts of Summary Criminal Jurisdiction; Petty Civil Courts; Family Court
Legislative Branch
The legislative structure consists of bicameral Note: note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly (19 seats; 15 assemblymen directly elected by simple majority vote and 4 appointed councilors - 3 on the advice of the chief secretary and 1 on the advice of the minority leader; members serve 4-year terms) Lower Chamber: House of Representatives (42 (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
First colonized by the Spanish, Trinidad and Tobago came under British control in the early 19th century. The emancipation of enslaved people in 1834 disrupted the twin islands’ sugar industry. Contract workers arriving from India between 1845 and 1917 augmented the labor force, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export that remains the country’s dominant industry.
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Trinidad and Tobago based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.