Appointment of Members to the Judicial and Legal Service Commission and the Public Service Appeal Board

On Wednesday 16th April, 2025, Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo O.R.T.T., President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago presided over the swearing-in ceremony for the re-appointment of the Honourable Madam Justice Charmaine Pemberton, JA, as a Member of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission; the appointment of Madame Justice Judith Jones as a Member and Chairman of the Public Service Appeal Board; and the appointment of Ms. Melba Dedier and Mrs. Simonne Jaggernauth-Clarke as Members of the Public Service Appeal Board.

The Honourable Mme Justice Charmaine Pemberton JA was appointed a Puisne Judge in 2005 and elevated to the Court of Appeal in September 2016. Before serving in this jurisdiction, she served as a Puisne Judge in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court from 2002 to 2005.

She began her legal career in 1983, having graduated from the University of the West Indies and the Hugh Wooding Law School. Her early work included roles at E.T.V. Kelly & Co., the Chief State Solicitor’s Office, and the Office of the Ombudsman (1987–1994), where her interest in human rights, public law, and alternative dispute resolution began.

She later practiced at J.D. Sellier & Co. and as a sole practitioner, before becoming the first Master of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 2000, overseeing civil litigation across several Caribbean islands. She was elevated to Judge in 2003, serving in St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and notably becoming the first female Judge in Grenada.

Justice Pemberton is a trained mediator, certified judicial trainer, and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She has published papers on Ombudsman institutions and CARICOM trade and has been active in judicial training and mediation initiatives regionally.

Madame Justice Judith Jones is a retired Justice of Appeal. She served in the Court of Appeal of the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago from June 2015 to September 2020.

Prior to being elevated to the Court of Appeal, Madame Justice Jones served as a Judge of the High Court, from December 2004 to May, 2015. She is a qualified mediator, having received training in civil and family mediation from the University of Southern Florida in 1998.

She has been a tutor at the Hugh Wooding Law School in both Evidence and Civil Procedure and Practice. She held the post of Director/Chairman of the Legal Aid and Advisory Authority of Trinidad and Tobago from 1996 to 2002.

Madame Justice Jones is a former Chairman of the Police Service Commission from November 2021 to November 2024.

She is the holder of a Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of the West Indies.

Ms. Melba Dedier is a career Public Service Manager whose objective is to continue to contribute to the effective implementation of Public Service policies and strategic plans, through the modernisation of systems and processes.

Ms Dedier is a retired Permanent Secretary having served in the Office of the Prime Minister, (2015 – 2016); Ministry of Justice, (2012 – 2016) and the Ministry of Tourism (2007 – 2012).

Since her retirement from the Public Service, she has served in the Ministry of Education where she provides guidance and support on administrative matters, including training and coaching of staff members and assisting in preparing and vetting Notes for Cabinet, reports and policies.

Ms Dedier holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, French and Spanish, from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.  She has additional training certification in Management and Management for Public Officers.

Mrs. Simonne Jaggernauth-Clarke is an Attorney-at-law who is a Partner at the law firm of Fitzwilliam, Stone, Furness-Smith and Morgan, who practises as an Instructing Attorney-at-Law and Advocate Counsel at the High Court and Court of Appeal in diverse matters, including judicial review, corporate and contractual disputes, commercial debt collection, personal injury, defamation, property disputes and workmen’s compensation.

She was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in July 2011 and to the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago in March, 2012.

Mrs. Jaggernauth-Clarke has served in several offices and firms including Colonial Life Insurance Company Limited, Pollonais, Blanc, de la Bastide & Jacelon, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

She is the recipient of an Open National Scholarship in Modern Languages, (2006).