2ND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT,
GRAND BASSA COUNTY
REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
His Honor Joe S. Barkon
His Honor Joe S. Barkon
Resident Circuit Judge
2nd Judicial Circuit Buchanan, Grand Bassa County
2nd Judiciary Circuit, Grand Bassa County
Jurisdiction: The 2nd Judicial Circuit Court of Grand Bassa County exercises original jurisdiction over all cases as to which no other court has, including jurisdiction in Admiralty. The Circuit Court also has jurisdiction to hear appeals from administrative determinations of government agencies and officials in accordance with statutes that provide appeals and from decisions of courts-not-of-record (magisterial) made within the county in which it sits.
Appointment and tenure of Circuit Judges: The President shall nominate and by and with the consent of the Senate, appoint and commission the Circuit Judge of the 2nd Judicial Circuit who shall be resident Judge. He/She shall hold office during good behavior.
Opening dates of the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court: The 2nd 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 2nd Judicial Circuit Court 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.
Except as provided in the Civil Procedure Law, jury cases shall have preference over all other cases and matters, and criminal cases shall first be heard; provided that the following capital offenses shall have preference over all cases, criminal and civil, in all courts of competent jurisdiction of Liberia, particularly the following cases:
a. Treason d. Terrorism
b. Armed robbery e. Murder
c. Hi-jacking f. Other capital offenses
Notwithstanding the expiration of the session at which it was commenced a trial shall continue until it is completed.
The 2nd Judicial Circuit has three (3) specialized courts and oversees the functions of seven (7) Magisterial Courts located across the county.
COURTS OPERATING WITHIN THE 2ND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
| COURT | JUDGE | LOCATION |
| 2nd Judicial | His Honor Joe S. Barkon | JUDICIAL COMPLEX, BUCHANAN CITY |
| SPECIALIZED COURTS | ||
| i. Debt Court | VACANT | ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING, BUCHANAN CITY |
| i.Traffic Court | 1. His Honor Garjai T. Attia | LOWER BUCHANAN MAGISTERIAL COURT |
| i. Revenue Court | VACANT | JUDICIAL COMPLEX, BUCHANAN CITY |
| MAGISTERIAL COURTS | ||
| i. Buchanan City Magisterial Court | His Honor Visco M. Brown (Acting Stipendiary)
His Honor Joseph M. Cooper (Associate) His Honor Julius Diggs (Associate) |
ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING, LOWER BUCHANAN CITY |
| i. Compound #3 Magisterial Court | His Honor Dargbeh B. Toby, Sr. (Associate)
Her Honor Arisa C. E. Moore (Associate) |
COMPOUND #3 |
| i. Edina City Magisterial Court | His Honor David F. Foday (Associate)
His Honor Benedict N. Pah (Associate) |
FISHING UNION BUILDING, EDINA CITY |
| i. L.A.C. Magisterial Court | His Honor G. Emmanuel Saturday (Associate)
His Honor T. Trokon Harris (Associate) Her Honor La-Verne A. Nyenah (Associate) |
LIBERIA AGRICULTURAL COMPANY |
| i. Owensgrove Magisterial Court | His Honor Samuel D. Peabody (Associate)
His Honor Kish Tronkon Beadeh (Associate) Her Honor Dehkontee S. Sims (Associate) |
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS BUILDING, DISTRICT 1 |
| i. Palm-Bay Magisterial Court | His Honor James B. Kaba, Sr. (Acting Stipendiary)
His Honor Abraham R. Mitchell (Associate) |
CONCESSION AREA, DISTRICT 4 |
| i. St. John City Magisterial Court
|
His Honor David W. Sojah (Associate)
His Honor John F. Zoegar (Associate) |
BUCHANAN |