Commonwealth Caribbean Law Research Guide: Barbados

Among the southernmost of the Caribbean Islands in the Lesser Antilles, Barbados was a Spanish and British colony before it became a sovereign country in the Commonwealth on November 30, 1966. The Queen still serves as head of the constitutional monarchy, represented by a Governor-General. The Prime Minister leads a bicameral legislature, consisting of an appointed Senate and elected House of Assembly. As a parliamentary democracy based on English Common Law, the Magistrates Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal are headed by the Chief Justice of Barbados, but the Caribbean Court of Justice serves as the final court of appeal, rather than the Privy Council.