RETIRED Chief Justice Zaila McCalla has been named an Eminent Caribbean Jurist for 2021. The announcement and presentation was made in a brief ceremony at King’s House recently.

At the ceremony, which was hosted by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Academy for Law, McCalla was presented with a publication, Eminent Jurist Awards: Pioneering Caribbean Jurist 2021, in which she is memorialised.

The award was presented by Justice Winston Anderson, a judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice who is based in Trinidad and Tobago.

In congratulating Justice McCalla, Governor General Sir Patrick Allen said, “I am very proud of retired Chief Justice McCalla. She is one who can be considered a success story. Thank you so much for your contribution to the nation and the region”.

Commissioner of the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission, Caribbean Court of Justice, B St Michael Hylton, who gave an overview of the publication, said he was delighted that McCalla had been recognised as one of this year’s honourees.

In her response, McCalla thanked Justice Winston Anderson for travelling from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to be part of the presentation ceremony. “I am motivated and inspired by the presentation of this book and I hope other women judges will be inspired as well,” she noted.

McCalla also thanked Eminent Judge Jacqueline Samuels-Brown for always being supportive of her while she served in the High Court, Hylton for crafting the publication, and her children for being part of her support system.

The October 2021 publication spotlights pioneering Caribbean women jurists, and selected McCalla from a field of over eighty nominees.