There's nothing wrong with CJ's request for more Supreme Court justices - Lawyer

Legal practitioner Bobby Banson has expressed his support for Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo's request for the President to nominate additional justices to the Supreme Court of Ghana.

Banson's endorsement comes after Justice Torkornoo explained the necessity of increasing the number of justices to meet the court's growing demands.

Making his submission on Channel One TV's "The Big Issue" on July 7, 2024, Banson emphasized the Chief Justice's role as Chairperson of the Judicial Service and her deep understanding of the judiciary's requirements.

He clarified that the call for more justices is not for immediate appointments but to enhance the court's capacity, potentially extending its sittings to additional days to improve the efficiency of justice delivery.

“The Chief Justice is the chairperson of the judicial council…I don’t think that the Chief Justice intended by her letter that the mere fact that she has written the letter means that tomorrow the President will announce that Kofi, Ama, Yaa, their names contained in the letter, are now justices of the Supreme Court," he explained.

He continued, "I do not think that has ever happened, and I do not think that was the intention of the Chief Justice when she wrote the letter. So, if the Chief Justice thinks that looking at the data, I will need more persons to join so that perhaps we can even start sitting on Mondays, we can even start sitting on Fridays to deal with urgent matters.”

Bobby Banson also affirmed that the Chief Justice's constitutional mandate supports such a move, aiming to enhance the efficiency of the Supreme Court's operations.

In her letter to the President, Justice Torkornoo emphasized the urgent need to expand the bench to ensure the judiciary can effectively address the nation's justice requirements.

She outlined the Supreme Court of Ghana's (SCOG) current schedule, which includes 12 sittings per month, handling at least 45 cases weekly, or approximately 180 monthly.

“In view of the realities of the court’s workload and output and the need for the court to appropriately serve the justice needs of the nation,” Justice Torkornoo recently stated on the subject.

ID/MA

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