Mario F. Michel (born 1960) is a Saint Lucian lawyer and politician and since 2009 has been a judge of the
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and N ...
.
Michel studied Economics and History at the
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...
in Cave Hill,
Barbados
Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
. He then went on to study at the
Hugh Wooding Law School
The Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is a law school in Trinidad and Tobago.
History
Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician Hugh Wooding, HWLS is one of three law schools empowered by the (Caribbean) Council of Legal Education to a ...
in Trinidad and Tobago from 1988 to 1990. In 1990 he started his own legal practice, '' Michel & Company '', which he pursued until being elected to Parliament in 1997, representing the district of
Gros Islet
Gros Islet (English: ''Large Island'') is a community near the northern tip of the island country of Saint Lucia, in the Gros Islet Quarter. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has become one of the more popular tourist destinations in the coun ...
.
Michel is a former president of the National Youth Council and an avid bridge player who has represented the island at many tournaments. From 1997 he was part of the Prime Minister
Kenny Anthony
Kenny Davis Anthony (born 8 January 1951Government page on Anthony .) is a 's cabinet, serving as Minister of Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports and the position of
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
. He presided over the establishment of Universal Secondary Education and cut a figure of principle and was sometimes construed as obdurate. His tenure was also characterised by confrontations with Saint Lucia Teachers Union some of which ended in short industrial actions.
After the executive of the Saint Lucia Labour Party voted to remove their term limit clause and effectively allow current leader, Dr Kenny Anthony to take the party into the 2006 elections he announced his intention not to partake in the General Elections of 2006. He returned to his private legal practice. There has been talk about the return of Michel to the helm of the party. He has hinted this in a recent television interview where he said coyly that he was getting many requests from people to return to politics but he was still weighing up his options.
In 2009, Michel was appointed a High Court Judge of the
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and N ...
; he was assigned to live in and hear cases from
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...
. In 2012, he became an Appeals Court Judge for the same court, with jurisdiction over all states of the
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and N ...
.
See also
*
Saint Lucia Labour Party
The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds 15 of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.
History
The party was established in 1949, backed by the Saint Lucia Workers Cooperative Un ...
*
Politics of Saint Lucia
Politics of Saint Lucia takes place in the framework of an independent parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy, with King Charles III as its head of state, represented by a Governor General, who acts on the advice of the prime minis ...