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CRIMINAL ASSIZES “D”

1^ST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, MONTSERRADO COUNTY

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

Her Honor Mameita Jabateh Sirleaf

Resident Circuit Judge

1^st Judicial Circuit, Criminal Court “D”

Temple of Justice

 

Clerk of Court	Contact Number	Email
Ben George Teah	231888611090 / 231777221996	tbgeorge@gmail.com

 

Jurisdiction: The Criminal Court “D”, 1^st Judicial Circuit Court of Montserrado County, exercises original jurisdiction over criminal matters in Montserrado County.

Criminal Court “D” shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over the crimes of armed robbery, terrorism and highjacking, just that magisterial courts shall exercise preliminary examination authority over said crimes, pursuant to the Criminal Procedure Law.

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 1^st Judicial Circuit Courts: The 1^st 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 “D”, 1^st 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.