The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the

Judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

from the

Legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

and the

Executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

arms of government.1992 Constitution Article 125(1). "Justice emanates from the people and shall be administered in the name of the Republic by the Judiciary which shall be independent and subject only to this Constitution."

History

The Supreme Court was established by the Supreme Court Ordinance (1876) as the highest tribunal in the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

(now Ghana) during the colonial era. Appeals from the Supreme Court of the Gold Coast went to the

West African Court of Appeal The West African Court of Appeal (WACA) was a court which served as the appellate court for the British colonies of Gold Coast, Nigeria, Gambia, and Sierra Leone. History The WACA was first established in 1867 as the appellate court for British po ...

(WACA) established in 1866. Ghana withdrew from WACA following independence, then abolished appeals to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...

in London in 1960. After the military coup d'état of February 24, 1966, the

National Liberation Council The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed For ...

(NLC), by the Courts Decree, 1966 (NLCD.84) abolished the Supreme Court and vested judicial power in two sets of courts: the Superior Court of Judicature and the inferior courts. This was reversed by Article 102(4) of the 1969 constitution establishing the second republic. After the coup on January 13, 1972, the Supreme Court was again abolished by the

National Redemption Council The National Redemption Council (NRC) was the ruling Ghana military government from 13 January 1972 to 9 October 1975. Its chairman was Colonel I. K. Acheampong, who was thus also the head of state of Ghana. Duration of rule The NRC came into p ...

with the reason that the 1969 constitution had been suspended and so there was no need for a court to "interpret and enforce it". Its functions were transferred to the Court of Appeal. This was again reverted by the 1979 constitution when the third republic was established on September 24, 1979. The Supreme Court was left intact after the December 31, 1981 coup by the

Provisional National Defence Council The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was the name of the Ghanaian government after the People's National Party's elected government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, in a co ...

, though it made changes to the court system by introducing public tribunals. On July 2, 2013 the Supreme Court sentenced the editor-in-chief of the ''Daily Searchlight'' newspaper, Ken Kuranchie, to 10 days in prison for calling the 9 Justices hypocritical and selective.

Current status

The 1992 constitution stipulates that the Supreme court is made up of the Chief Justice of Ghana and not less than nine other Justices of the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice is appointed by the

President of Ghana The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is Nana Akufo-Addo, who won the 2020 presidential el ...

acting in consultation with the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

and with the approval of the country's

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. The other Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the President acting on the advice of the Judicial Council and in consultation with the Council of State. This must also be with the approval of Parliament. The 1992 Constitution abolished all the public tribunals established under the PNDC and created the Regional Tribunal whose chairman was equated with the High Court judges.

Justices of the Supreme Court

The following is a list of the judges of the Supreme Court. In July 2018, President

Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 7 January 2017. In 2020, he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. Akufo-Addo previously ...

appointed four new judges to the Supreme Court. They were Samuel K. Marful-Sau and Agnes M.A Dordzie, both Justices of the Appeal Court,

Nii Ashie Kotey Emmanuel Nii Ashie Kotey (born 2 October 1953) is a Ghanaian judge and academic. He has been a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana since his appointment in 2018. Kotey was born in Osu, a suburb of Accra. After obtaining his LL.M and Ph.D. ...

, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

and Nene A. O. Amegatcher, a lawyer in private practice who also a former president of the Ghana Bar Association. One of the longest serving judges of the Court, William Atuguba retired in the same month. He had been on the Supreme Court after being nominated by

Jerry Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...

in November 1995 until July 2018. The last female Chief Justice was Sophia Akuffo. She was the last Supreme Court Judge appointed by

to retire. She retired on 20 December 2019 and was replaced by Kwasi Anin-Yeboah on 7 January 2020. In December 2019, President Akufo-Addo appointed three new judges to the Supreme Court. They were

Mariama Owusu Mariama Owusu is a Ghanaian judge. She has been on the bench since 1990 and was nominated a judge of the Supreme Court Judge in November 2019. She was sworn in on 17 December 2019 after gaining parliamentary approval. Early life and education Ow ...

Lovelace Johnson Avril Lovelace-Johnson is a Ghanaian judge. She was nominated for the position of a Supreme Court of Ghana judge in November 2019 and received parliamentary approval in December 2019. She was sworn in on 17 December 2019. She has been on the ben ...

and Gertrude Tokornoo. They are to replace

Sophia Adinyira Sophia Ophelia Adjeibea Adinyira is a Ghanaian retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and a member of the United Nations Appeal Tribunal. Early life and education Adinyira was born on 1 September 1949 at Cape Coast in the Central Regio ...

Vida Akoto-Bamfo Vida Akoto-Bamfo is a retired Ghanaian Supreme Court Judge. She served on the Supreme Court bench from 2009 to 2019. Early life and education Akoto-Bamfo was born on 7 February 1949 to Mr. Alfred Kingsley Bannerman-Williams and Madam Grace Dark ...

and Sophia Akuffo who have either retired or are due to retire. ;Some recently retired Supreme Court Judges *

Julius Ansah Julius Ansah (born 1950) is a Ghanaian judge who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 2004 to 2020. Ansah was nominated to the Supreme Court of Ghana by John Kufuor, who was then the President of Ghana. He was sworn in by John ...

(July 2004 - 2020) * Sophia Akuffo (Chief Justice of Ghana 2017-2019) - 30 November 1995 - 20 December 2019 * George Kingsley Acquah- (1995-2007) * Francis Yaonasu Kpegah – (6 January 1993 – 2008) – Once the most senior Judge * Prof.

Tawia Modibo Ocran Professor Justice Tawia Modibo Ocran (September 12, 1942 – October 27, 2008) was an academic and a Supreme Court Judge in Ghana. Early life and education Justice Professor Tawia Modibo Ocran was born on September 12, 1942, at Tarkwa-Nsuaem in ...

– (2004–2008) * Stephen Alan Brobbey - (2002-2012) * Prof. Samuel Kofi Date-Bah – (2003-2013) * Mrs

Georgina Theodora Wood Georgina Theodora Wood (née Lutterodt; born 8 June 1947) is a Ghanaian judge and also a former police prosecution officer. She was the Chief Justice of Ghana and the first woman to occupy that position. She retired in 2017 after five decades ...

– (12 November 2002 – June 2017) and Chief Justice between 15 June 2007 and June 2017. *

Rose Constance Owusu Rose Constance Owusu is a Ghanaian former Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. She served on the Supreme Court bench from 2008 to 2014. Early life and education Owusu was born on 24 August 1944 at Koforidua. Between 1958 and 1964, she attended ...

– (since 11 June 2008 - August 2014 * Joseph Bawa Akamba – (11 Nov 2012 to 2017) * William A. Atuguba (30 November 1995 - 1 July 2018) * Kweku Etrew Amua-Sekyi *Mrs Sophia Ophilia Adjeibea Adinyira (2006 – July 2019) *

(October 2009 to February 2019) * Alfred Anthony Benin (11 November 2012 - January 2020 *

Nasiru Sulemana Gbadegbe Nasiru Sulemana Gbadegbe is a Ghanaian lawyer and judge. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana between 2009 and 2020. Early life and education Gbadegbe hails from the Volta Region of Ghana. He was born on 8 December 1950. He obtained ...

(October 2009 — December 2020)

List of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court

Since its inception in 1876, the Supreme Court has had 27 Chief Justices.

References

External links

Official Website of the Judicial Service of Ghana
*Ghana Constitution
Parliament of Ghana Website

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