The President has sworn in 37 judges to the High Court at a ceremony at the Jubilee House, charging them to remain independent, accountable, and considerate of the human stories behind each case.
At the swearing-in ceremony in Accra last Thursday evening, President John Dramani Mahama reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to a judiciary whose independence, he described as the “lifeblood of our democracy”.
“But independence does not mean isolation,” the President, who swore the judges in, cautioned. “Courts must remain open to accountability, must be guided by transparency and fidelity to the Constitution of the Republic,” he added.
Present at the ceremony were senior government officials, including the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine; Senior Government Advisor on Political Affairs, Dr Valerie Sawyerr, and some justices of the Supreme Court, including the acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe Bonney.
Jurisprudence
President Mahama told the new judges that their work would be crucial to Ghana’s development, particularly under the government’s ‘Resetting Ghana Agenda’.
“Your judgments will shape not only our jurisprudence, but also affect investor confidence, human rights and our national stability,” he stated, adding that the nation needed a judiciary that was “both firm and facilitative”.
He urged them to dispense justice without undue delay, noting that “when lawyers play with time, justice becomes a casualty”.
President Mahama reminded the bench of the far-reaching human consequences of their rulings, citing examples such as “a dismissed teacher, a displaced family, and a young person wrongfully accused” who appear before the courts.
“Let the High Court be both the temple of the law and the house of humanity,” he said.
President Mahama reaffirmed his government’s “unwavering commitment to defending judicial independence”, while reminding the judges of the concomitant “sacred duty to uphold ethical discipline and professional excellence”.
Pledge for Impartiality
Responding on behalf of the new judges, Justice Francis Asong Obuajo, expressed gratitude to the President for the appointment and pledged that they would deliver justice impartially.
“We are here to assure you, the President, that for the confidence imposed in us and for this appointment, we will deliver justice to the people and the citizenry,” Justice Obuojo said.
Justice Obuajo committed himself and his colleagues to upholding justice “with integrity and without partiality”.
