Criminal Assizes B”


       


CRIMINAL ASSIZES “B”

1ST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, MONTSERRADO COUNTY

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

 

 

 

 

His Honor Nelson B. Chineh

Assigned Circuit Judge

1st Judicial Circuit

Criminal Court “B

Temple of Justice

 

Clerk of Court Contact Number Email
Loveta O. Sekajipo 231886809124 / 2317762588698 odaloveme1985@gmail.com

Jurisdiction: The Criminal Court “B”, 1st Judicial Circuit Court of Montserrado County, exercises original jurisdiction over criminal matters in Montserrado County except other crimes such as sexual base violence (rape, statutory rape, gang rape, etc), theft and armed robbery related matters.

Cases that are triable before Criminal Court “B” are; Murder, Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder, Sedition, Extradition, Arson, Kidnapping, Manslaughter, Negligent Homicide, Reckless Driving resulting to death to name a few the Court also has exclusive jurisdiction over matters of Citizenship and Naturalization.

Appointment and tenure of Circuit Judge: The President shall nominate and with the consent of the Senate, appoint and commission the Circuit Judge of the Court who shall be the Resident Judge. He/she shall hold office during good behavior or on attaining the age of 70.

Opening dates of the 1st Judicial Circuit Courts: The 1st Judicial Circuit shall meet four times a year in quarterly sessions, opening their quarterly sessions on the second Monday in February, May, August, and November in each year. The quarterly sessions of this Circuit shall be entitled the February, May, August and November Terms of court.  

Duration of each Term: Ten days before the opening of each quarterly session, there shall be a pre-trial chamber session to be held by the circuit judge assigned to sit during the quarterly sessions which shall immediately be followed by a trial session beginning with the opening of each quarterly session and continuing for forty-two consecutive days not including Sundays and legal holidays unless sooner terminated because all business before the court is disposed of before the expiration of that period. Immediately following the close of the trial session there shall be a ten-day closing chamber session to be held by the judge assigned to sit for the quarterly session and any judge concurrently assigned to the circuit.

The Criminal Court “B”, 1st Judicial Circuit, Monsterrado County shall be considered always open for adjudication of matters over which it has jurisdiction and for the purpose of filing any pleading or other paper authorized by rule or statute, of issuing and returning mesne and final process and of making and directing all interlocutory motions, orders and rules. Wherever they are present within the circuit, the Circuit Judge assigned to a Circuit Court, during his assignment and the pre-trial chamber session prior thereto, concurrently with the resident judge thereof, shall have authority to act on all matters coming before the court; and if neither is available, then except for the trial of an action and any motions in connection therewith which may be made during and after such trial or any motion for an order that would dispose of the action, in whole or in part, in any manner other than the settlement of an action or claim involving an infant or judicially declared incompetent, all other matters may be heard by the presiding judge of the Circuit Court adjoining the circuit where the action is triable.

The Criminal Court “A”, 1st Judicial Circuit Montserrado County oversees the functions of a total of Eleven (11) Magisterial Courts and three (3) Specialized Courts located across the county.