Supreme Court Finally Closes for October Term (02/19/2018)
After nearly a year of work without break, the Supreme Court of Liberia has finally closed its October A.D. 2017 Term.
The Court which has two terms, March and October, could not close for the March term due to the crucial role it had to play in expeditiously handling electoral cases as provided for by law, necessitated the extension of the March A.D. 2017 Term into the October A.D. 2017 Term.
As per the Supreme Court’s role, it has the Constitutional mandate to hear all appeals from the courts of records and those not of records, including administrative and autonomous agencies among others, as enshrined in Article 66 of the Liberia Constitution (1986).
Giving the importance the Court attaches to such constitutional mandate, it decided it was necessary to have remained opened throughout the year to hear election related cases speedily, as a means of assisting with critical issues of Liberia’s first transition in over seven (7) decades.
According to the records of the Supreme Court, it heard and decided thirty (30) cases during the period, most of which were election related.
Speaking at the close of the October A.D. 2017 Term on Tuesday February 20, 2018, Chief Justice Francis S. Korkpor, Sr. lauded all support staff, lawyers, judges, magistrates, and clerks for their support and work during the term.
Chief Justice Korkpor said all electoral cases before the Supreme Court had been listened to and opinions rendered. This, he said, would not have been possible had the Court closed for its March A.D. 2017 Term.
The Chief Justice noted that, the sacrifice was necessary to allow the first branch of government work effectively as the Legislature would not have functioned properly where some counties were fully represented while others were not.
Chief Justice Korkpor then thanked Associate Justice Kabineh M. Ja’neh for serving as Justice in Chambers for the period. The Chief Justice disclosed that Associate Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh will serve as the next Justice in Chambers beginning Monday, February 26, 2018.
The Chief Justice at the same time noted that the court has not shut its doors to the public. “Everyone will continue to do their work. It is necessary for the Justices to take a little break after the hard work. We won’t be long, we are just going to attend to family matters and we will be back in roughly two weeks.”
Concluding, Chief Justice Korkpor mandated the clerk of the Supreme Court to inform the President & Vice President of the republic of Liberia, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate about the Supreme Court’s closure which is in keeping with law.
