Monica Theresa Joseph

Monica Theresa Joseph (10 January 1934 - 6 July 2023) was a Grenadian judge and public servant.

Early life and career

Joseph was born in Grenada[1] on 10 January 1934.[2] Prior to entering law, Joseph worked for ten years in a number of civil service departments until 1963, when she was granted study leave and went to the United Kingdom to study law.[3][4]

In November 1966, Joseph was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn.[5] She then worked in the Grenadian Ministry of External Affairs.[1] In 1972, she moved to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and entered its Public Legal Service, working as a legal assistant, crown counsel, senior crown counsel, and then Solicitor General and Director of Public Prosecutions until 1982.[1][4]

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

In 1982, Joseph was appointed as a judge of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States supreme court,[2] the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC), becoming the first woman to sit on the bench of the ECSC.[6][1] She then served as the first resident judge of the British Virgin Island and Anguilla, and later became resident judge of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.[1] In 1991, she became a justice of appeal for a year and then served a number of temporary stints on the ECSC court of appeal, and was the first woman to sit on the ECSC court of appeal.[1] She retired from the ECSC in 1996.[1]

In 2008, she returned to the ECSC, serving as a High Court Judge for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines until 2012.[1]

Post-legal career achievements

Following her retirement in 1996, Joseph was appointed Deputy to the Governor-General of Grenada under the New National Party government, meaning she served as acting governor-general a number of times.[2][1] She also served as Chair of the Grenada Public Service Commission, and was involved with various charitable organisations.[3]

Personal life

Joseph was Roman Catholic.[2][1]

She died on 6 July 2023, aged 89.[2]

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Tribute to Her Ladyship, the Hon. Dame Monica Joseph, Retired High Court Judge". Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2025 – via Government of Saint Lucia.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Justice Monica Joseph passed away". The New Today. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Monica Theresa Joseph". University of the West Indies. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b "CV of Commissioner to the Inquiry". Government of Saint Lucia. 25 September 1997. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Two women who served as High Court Judges in Dominica have passed". Nature Isle News. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  6. ^ "St Vincent Bar mourns the passing of former Justice Monica Joseph". St Vincent Times. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Newsletter" (PDF). Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
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