THE SUPREME COURT OF LIBERIA
The Supreme Court is the head of the Judiciary Branch of the Government of the Republic of Liberia, its Administrative head and spokesperson is the Chief Justice who shall preside over the business of the Court and other ordinary meetings of the Judiciary.
Composition: The 5-members Supreme Court bench is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices who are ranked in seniority order based on tenure on the Supreme Court bench with the longest serving ranked most senior Associate Justice after the Chief Justice. For deliberation purposes, three members of the Supreme Court bench shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum cannot be obtained at any time to hear a case, the President of the Republic of Liberia shall appoint an Ad Hoc Justice from the Circuit Judges for the purpose of having a quorum. Consideration of said Circuit Judge for appointment shall be in the order of seniority.
The President shall nominate and by and with the consent of the Senate, appoint a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, any three of whom shall constitute a quorum at any regular term. They will hold office during good behavior.
No person shall be appointed or hold office as a Justice of the Supreme Court who has not been a citizen of Liberia for at least ten years immediately previous to his appointment, who has not attained the age of thirty years, and who is not a counselor at law licensed to practice in the Supreme Court and engaged in the active practice of law for at least seven years next preceding his appointment. Active practice of law, as used herein, shall include judicial service, governmental service and teaching of law.
In the Supreme Court Chambers, there shall be arranged in order of seniority, five (5) special seats of honor. The seat of honor placed in the center of the row is specifically reserved for the Chief Justice. On the right and left sides of the Chief Justice there shall be placed two seats of honor on the immediate right is specifically reserved for the Senior Associate Justice. The seat of honor on the immediately left of the Chief Justice is specifically reserved for the Associate Justice next in rank. The seat of honor on the extreme left is specifically reserved for the Associate Justice last in rank.
Order of Seating of the Honored Justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
To occupy any of the five (5) seats of honor so arranged on the row for the first time, the Chief Justice and the four Associate Justices must be commissioned as Chief Justice or Associate Justice and ceremoniously seated during a ceremony planned for the purpose and no one shall occupy any of the seats of honor unless he is commissioned and ceremoniously seated to enable him to participate in the deliberations of the Court.
Any seat of honor which is made vacant by reasons of death, resignation or impeachment from office of a Justice of the Supreme Court, shall remain vacant until the vacancy is filled by appointment and such appointee is commissioned and ceremoniously seated.
Jurisdiction: The Supreme Court exercises original jurisdiction in cases involving Ambassadors, Ministers, and cases in which a country is a party. The Supreme Court also is the final arbiter of constitutional issues and exercises final appellate jurisdiction in all cases emanating from the courts of records (Circuit and specialized courts), from rulings of Justices of the Supreme Court presiding in Chambers on applications for remedial and extraordinary writs, courts not of record, administrative agencies, autonomous agencies or any other authority, both as to law and fact.
In the adjudication process, the Chief Justice and the Associate Justices shall have equal votes to reach a decision. In case of tied votes, the Chief Justice who, as a matter of course, is the last vote, shall cast the decisive vote and the votes of the majority sitting and voting shall be binding on the court.
No Justice of the Supreme Court shall sit on any case in which he/she is interested or has made a ruling as a Justice presiding in Chambers, in connection with an application for a remedial or extraordinary writ or on which he/she sat while a judge of a lower court.
Terms/Sessions of the Court: The Supreme Court shall hold two terms annually, commencing on the Second Monday of October and on the Second Monday of March and continuing as long as the business before the Court may require. They shall be known as the October and March Term respectively.
Justice Presiding in Chambers: At all times, in term and out of term, there shall be a Justice presiding in the Chambers of the Supreme Court who shall be designated by the Chief Justice in regular rotation from among the Associate Justices, and no such Associate Justice designated shall delegate his powers to another. The Justice presides in chambers of the Supreme Court to issue various writs; such as Mandamus, Prohibition, Quo Warranto, and other remedial writs and processes. The power to issue such writs and remedial processes are exclusively to the Justice in Chambers.
THE HONORABLE SUPREME COURT BENCH
CHIEF JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF LIBERIA
1. HIS HONOR SAMUEL BENEDICT 1848 – 1856
2. HIS HONOR JOHN DAY 1856 – 1861
3. HIS HONOR BOSTON J. DRAYTON 1861 -1865
4. HIS HONOR EDWARD JAMES ROYE 1865 -1868
5. HIS HONOR CYRUS LOUIS PARSONS 1868 -1895
6. HIS HONOR ZACHARIAH B. ROBERTS 1895 -1910
7. HIS HONOR ARCHIBALD J. TOLIVER 1910 -1913
8. HIS HONOR JAMES JENKINS DOSSEN 1913 -1924
9. HIS HONOR FREDRICK E. R. JOHNSON 1924 -1933
10. HIS HONOR LOUIS ARTHUR GRIMES 1933 -1949
11. HIS HONOR MARTIN NEMLS RUSSELL 1949 -1957
12. HIS HONOR EUGENE HIMIC SHANNON 1957 -1958
13. HIS HONOR A. DASH WILSON 1958 -1971
14. HIS HONOR JAMES A.A. PIERRE 1971 -1980
15. HIS HONOR EMMANUEL NYAN GBLALAZEH 1980 -1986
16. HIS HONOR JAMES N. NAGBE 1986 -1987
17. HIS HONOR CHEA CHEAPO 1987 -1987
18. HIS HONOR EMMANUEL NYAN GBLALAZEH 1987 -1990
19. HIS HONOR JAMES HENRIQUE PEARSON 1992 -1992
20. HIS HONOR JAMES GARREISON BULL 1993 -1996
21. HER HONOR FRANCES JOHNSON MORRIS 1997 -1997
22. HER HONOR GLORIA M. SCOTT 1997 –2003
23. HIS HONOR HENRY REED COOPER 2004-2006
24. HIS HONOR JOHNNIE N. LEWIS 2006-2012
25. HIS HONOR FRANCIS S. KORKPOR, SR. 2013 – 2022
26. HER HONOR SIE-A-NYENE G. YUOH 2022 – PRESENT
ASSOCIATE JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF LIBERIA
1. HIS HONOR JAMES E. MOORE 1878 – 1881
2. HIS HONOR HENRY J. NEYLE 1882 – 1891
3. HIS HONOR JAMES M. PRIEST 1883 – 1887
4. HIS HONOR ZACHARIAH B. ROBERTS 1884 – 1894
5. HIS HONOR JAMES M. THOMPSON 1892 – 1893
6. HIS HONOR ERNEST T. BARCLAY 1894 – 1894
7. HIS HONOR JAMES H. DEPUTIE 1895 – 1896
8. HIS HONOR ROBERT B. RICHARDSON 1895 – 1911
9. HIS HONOR JOHN W. WORRELL 1897 – 1898
10. HIS HONOR JAMES JENKINS DOSSEN 1898 – 1907
11. HIS HONOR J. A. TOLIVER 1908 – 1910
12. HIS HONOR J. A. WOODS 1910 – 1912
13. HIS HONOR J. McCANTE STEWARD 1911 – 1914
14. HIS HONOR F. R. E. JOHNSON 1911 – 1928
15. HIS HONOR AMOS WITTERSPOON 1914 – 1927
16. HIS HONOR T.E. BEYSLOW 1924 – 1933
17. HIS HONOR T. E. McCARTHY 1927 – 1928
18. HIS HONOR A.W. KARNGA 1928 – 1933
19. HIS HONOR HENRY A. PAYE 1928 – 1933
20. HIS HONOR SAMUEL G. GRIGSBY 1928-1941
21. HIS HONOR SAMUEL JEROME DOSSEN 1933-1941
22. HIS HONOR R. EMMONS DIXSON 1933-1937
23. HIS HONOR MARTIN NEMLE RUSSELL 1933-1947
24. HIS HONOR WILLIAM V. S. TUBMAN 1939-1943
25. HIS HONOR ANTHONY BARCLAY 1942-1947
26. HIS HONOR ISAAC A. DAVID 1943-1957
27. HIS HONOR E. HIMIE SHANNON 1948-1957
28. HIS HONOR CHARLES B. REEVES 1948-1953
29. HIS HONOR O. NATHY B. DAVIES 1949-1957
30. HIS HONOR DASSALINE T. HARRIS 1953-1966
31. HIS HONOR JAMES A.A PIERRE 1956-1966
32. HIS HONOR LAWRENCE E. MITCHELL 1957-1971
33. HIS HONOR WILLIAM E. WARDSWORTH 1957-1971
34. HIS HONOR CLARENCE L. SIMPSON 1964-1971
35. HIS HONOR H. AUGUSTINE ROBERTS 1966-1971
36. HIS HONOR GEORGE E. HENRIES 1971-1980
37. HIS HONOR S. RAYMOND HORACE, SR. 1971
38. HIS HONOR ROBERT G. W. AZANGO 1971
39. HER HONOR ANGIE BROOKS-RANDOLPH 1977-1980
40. HIS HONOR ROLAND BERNES 1977-1980
41. HIS HONOR FREDERICK K. TULAY 1977-1980
42. HIS HONOR MOSES KRON YANGBE 1980-1982
43. HIS HONOR BOIMA K. MORRIS 1980-1985
44. HIS HONOR ROOSEVELT S. T. BORTUE 1980-1982
45. HIS HONOR CEPHAR A. MABANDE 1980-1982
46. HIS HONOR FRANK W. SMITH, SR. 1980-1985
47. HIS HONOR EMMANUEL S. KOROMA 1980-1985
48. HIS HONOR ISAAC C. NYEPLU 1980-1985
49. HIS HONOR ELWOOD L. JANGABA 1985-1987
50. HIS HONOR PATRICK K. BIDDLE 1985-1987
51. HIS HONOR FREDERICK K. TULAY 1985-1987
52. HIS HONOR JOHN A. DENNIS, SR. 1985-1987
53. HIS HONOR ROBERT G. W. AZANGO 1987-1990
54. HIS HONOR DAVID D. KPOMAKPOR 1987-1990
55. HIS HONOR J. D. BARYORGAR JUNIUS 1987-1990
56. HIS HONOR JAMES K. BELLEH 1987-1990
57. HIS HONOR JAMES G. BULL 1992-1995
58. HIS HONOR E. WINFRED SMALLWOOD 1992-1995
59. HIS HONOR VICTOR D. HNE 1992-1995
60. HIS HONOR BOIMA K. MORRIS 1992-1995
61. HIS HONOR FRANK W. SMITH 1994-1995
62. HIS HONOR HALL W. BADIO, SR. 1995-1997
63. HIS HONOR KARMO G. SOKO SACKOR 1995-1997
64. HIS HONOR J. LAVELI SUPUWOOD 1995-1997
65. HIS HONOR M. FUTTON YANCY, JR. 1995-1997
66. HIS HONOR JOHN NATHANIEL MORRIS 1995-1997
67. HIS HONOR P. EDWIN GRAUSI 1997-1997
68. HIS HONOR GEORGE S. B. TULAY 1997-1997
69. HIS HONOR J. EMMANUEL WUREH 1997-1997
70. HIS HONOR JOHN NATHANIEL MORRIS 1997-2003
71. HIS HONOR MICAH WILKINS WRIGHT 1997-2003
72. HIS HONOR KARMO G. SOKO SACKOR, SR. 1997-2003
73. HIS HONOR ELWOOD L. JANGABA 1997-2003
74. HIS HONOR FRANCIS S. KORKPOR, SR. 2004-2006
75. HIS HONOR JOHN L. GREAVES 2004-2006
76. HIS HONOR ISHMAEL P. CAMPBELL 2004-2006
77. HER HONOR FELICIA V. COLEMAN 2004-2006
78. HIS HONOR J. EMMANUEL WUREH 2006
79. HIS HONOR FRANCIS S. KORKPOR, SR. 2006 – 2013
80. HER HONOR GLADYS JOHNSON 2006 – 2012
81. HIS HONOR KABINEH M. JA’NEH 2006 – 2019
82. HER HONOR JAMESETTA HOWARD- WOLOKOLIE 2006 – Present
83. HIS HONOR PHILIP A. Z. BANKS, III 2011 – 2018
84. HER HONOR SIE-A-NYENE G. YUOH 2013 – 2022
85. HIS HONOR JOSEPH N. NAGBE 2018 – 2023
86. HIS HONOR YUSIF KABA 2019 – Present
87. HIS HONOR YAMIE QUIQUI BGEISAY 2023 – Present
88. HER HONOR CEAINEH D. CLINTON JOHNSON 2024 – Present