Public advised to criticize judiciary
Gilbert Boyefio
26/07/2008
The Chief Justice of Ghana, Her Ladyship Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, has cautioned the public to be circumspect in their criticism of the judiciary as they can be cited for contempt of court.
She observed that for some time now judges have come under vitriolic attack, from some members of the public, the crime of these judges being that they, to the distaste or displeasure of the attackers, decided a case along lines that those judges in their wisdom believe meets justice of the given case.
She said for obvious reasons, the judiciary have been tolerant and advised against the use of punitive or coercive powers of the court to punish in instances where it believe the lines of decency have been over stepped, adding, "in order to avoid charges of abuse of power, prejudice, bias or the like; prudence and judicial self-restraint has taken the better part of us."
Speaking at the launch of the book "The Law of Chieftaincy in Ghana", authored by Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Her Ladyship said perhaps for those who in the past have genuinely acted in ignorance, and are anxious to learn the right mode of criticizing court decisions, a careful reading of the chapter on Contempt of Court of the book being launched would assist them draw the line between acceptable conduct and scurrilous attacks bordering on interference with the administration of justice.
She explained that Contempt of Court is even more pertinent to issues affecting the administration of justice and the orderly conduct of society.
Justice Georgina Wood said those in the judiciary understand fully the time honoured principles of judicial accountability, a fundamental value underpinning the rule of the law, and the duty cast on them to apply these laws independently, fairly and with integrity.
She said these form part of what is known as the Latimar House Principles, to which Ghana, as a member state of the Commonwealth is fully committed.
According to her, the judiciary also appreciates the fact that judicial independence does not mean that judges are sacrosanct, and further that judge's work must not be subjected to scrutiny or criticism. "Indeed the entire structure of the appeals and review systems under which we operate is evidence that we live under no such illusion. Contrarily, we welcome fair criticism in the form of critiques from all sections of the society, including academia and lay persons, as this will greatly contribute to our march towards excellence in justice delivery," she noted.
26/07/2008
The Chief Justice of Ghana, Her Ladyship Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, has cautioned the public to be circumspect in their criticism of the judiciary as they can be cited for contempt of court.
She observed that for some time now judges have come under vitriolic attack, from some members of the public, the crime of these judges being that they, to the distaste or displeasure of the attackers, decided a case along lines that those judges in their wisdom believe meets justice of the given case.
She said for obvious reasons, the judiciary have been tolerant and advised against the use of punitive or coercive powers of the court to punish in instances where it believe the lines of decency have been over stepped, adding, "in order to avoid charges of abuse of power, prejudice, bias or the like; prudence and judicial self-restraint has taken the better part of us."
Speaking at the launch of the book "The Law of Chieftaincy in Ghana", authored by Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Her Ladyship said perhaps for those who in the past have genuinely acted in ignorance, and are anxious to learn the right mode of criticizing court decisions, a careful reading of the chapter on Contempt of Court of the book being launched would assist them draw the line between acceptable conduct and scurrilous attacks bordering on interference with the administration of justice.
She explained that Contempt of Court is even more pertinent to issues affecting the administration of justice and the orderly conduct of society.
Justice Georgina Wood said those in the judiciary understand fully the time honoured principles of judicial accountability, a fundamental value underpinning the rule of the law, and the duty cast on them to apply these laws independently, fairly and with integrity.
She said these form part of what is known as the Latimar House Principles, to which Ghana, as a member state of the Commonwealth is fully committed.
According to her, the judiciary also appreciates the fact that judicial independence does not mean that judges are sacrosanct, and further that judge's work must not be subjected to scrutiny or criticism. "Indeed the entire structure of the appeals and review systems under which we operate is evidence that we live under no such illusion. Contrarily, we welcome fair criticism in the form of critiques from all sections of the society, including academia and lay persons, as this will greatly contribute to our march towards excellence in justice delivery," she noted.
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