After being appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) in 2024, His Lordship, Hon. Mario Michel, has officially retired from the position.
The ECSC held a Special Sitting to bid farewell to JA Michel on Friday, April 25, 2025.
“The fact that he has excelled throughout [his] career is no surprise. I met the Chief Justice in Cave Hill, Barbados, in the early 1980, and even then it was clear that there were great things in his future,” Her Ladyship, the Hon. Justice Margaret Price Findlay, Justice of Appeal, said at the ceremony on Friday.
“Justice Mario Michel has made a stellar contribution to Saint Lucia not just through his involvement in politics but also his involvement in the youth movement through the Alumni Association here in Saint Lucia and, of course, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court,” she added.
Moreover, she noted, Michel served the ECSC in various roles for over 15 years with humility and enthusiasm.
“Justice Michel in his tenure as Chief Justice, he brought his inimitable style to the position and while we are aware that hard decisions have to be made – and Justice Michel has had to do that, he has done so with empathy and firmness,” she emphasised.
The Chief Justice was celebrated by other notable peers, including Her Ladyship, the Hon. Justice Vicki Ann Ellis, Justice of Appeal, His Lordship, the Hon. Justice Reginald T.A. Armour, Justice of Appeal (Ag..), and more.
Justice Vicki Ann Ellis, in her remarks, said that “Special Sittings which celebrate the retirement of a judge bring both joy and sadness. The joy is celebrating his successful fulfillment of his Oath of Office; as he retires, we can look back and take pride in the work and contributions which Justice Michel has made as a High Court Judge, as an Appellate Judge, and as Acting Chief Justice.”
“The sadness stems from parting with our brother and colleague, acknowledging the vital role which he played over a judicial career which spanned some 16 years,” she noted.
His Lordship, Hon. Justice Mario Michel, is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of the University of the West Indies and the Hugh Wooding Law School. His Lordship was called to the Bar in Saint Lucia in October 1984 and entered into private practice, initially with a law firm, then from January 1986 on his own.
In his 13 years in private practice between 1984 and 1997, His Lordship was very active in civil society, becoming the founding President of the St. Lucia National Youth Council in 1985, President of the St. Lucia Guild of Graduates in 1991, and President of the St. Lucia Bar Association in 1996. He returned to private practice as an Attorney-at-Law in January 2007, but was called to judicial service in February 2009, serving as an acting High Court judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court from 1st February to 31st August 2009. On 1st September 2009, he was appointed as a High Court judge and was elevated to the Court of Appeal in September 2012. On 5th May 2024, His Lordship was appointed as Chief Justice (Ag..) of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.