CCJ Judge Rolston Nelson to retire

The Honourable Justice Rolston Nelson, who was appointed a Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice in 2005, is set to retire in May of this year. Justice Nelson is currently the longest-serving Judge at the Court and has acted as the Court President at various times in his tenure. President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, the Right Honourable Sir Dennis Byron, remarked that Justice Nelson has left an indelible mark during his time at the CCJ. The Court President stated, “it is difficult to put into words the outstanding contribution made by Justice Nelson during his tenure. Suffice it to say that he leaves an outstanding legacy and we will miss his generous spirit, his erudition and wise counsel.” The President noted that Justice Nelson is beloved by the employees of the Court and was highly respected by his peers throughout the region and beyond. Justice Nelson, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, holds degrees in Modern Languages and Jurisprudence (honours) and the Master of Laws from the Universities of Oxford and London respectively. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1970, admitted to practice at the Jamaican Bar in 1973 and at the Trinidad & Tobago Bar in 1975 and admitted to the Inner Bar as senior counsel in 1993. He was sworn in directly from the Bar as Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Trinidad & Tobago in 1999. He has been an Associate Tutor at the Hugh Wooding Law School since 1978 and is an Honorary Distinguished Fellow of the University of the West Indies. Justice Nelson was selected as the Inns of Court Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies for 2010-2011. He obtained his secondary education at Queen’s Royal College, where he was a House Scholar and National Scholar. The Honourable Justice Nelson retires from the CCJ in May 2017. Ten members of the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC) have selected Mr. Denys Barrow SC of Belize to replace him on the CCJ Bench. Mr Barrow SC will be the first Belizean to serve as a Judge of the CCJ.