Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah has pledged that Ghana’s three newly appointed justices will protect Supreme Court judicial independence and decide cases strictly according to law.
Speaking for her colleagues after their swearing in at the Presidency on Thursday, September 10, Justice Essah said personal preferences would have no place in their interpretation of the Constitution.
“We are called not to bend the law to personal preference, but to interpret and apply it faithfully, impartially and courageously,” she said.
She added: “We shall be independent enough to decide according to law.”
President John Dramani Mahama administered the oaths to Justice Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and Tony Forson at the Banquet Hall in Accra.
Justice Essah and Justice Amoako Asante joined the Supreme Court from the Court of Appeal. Justice Forson entered from private legal practice and previously served as President of the Ghana Bar Association.
Oath must shape every judgment
The new justices swore to uphold Ghana’s Constitution and administer justice without fear or favour, affection or ill will.
Justice Essah said those words would guide their conduct long after the ceremony. “They will find expression in every matter we hear and every judgment we deliver,” she said.
She described judicial office as a sacred public trust, insisting that judicial authority existed to serve citizens rather than provide personal power or privilege to judges.
The work, she said, would require courage when the court faced difficult decisions, alongside humility and fidelity to Ghana’s laws.
Institutions acknowledged
Justice Essah thanked President Mahama for the confidence placed in the three appointees.
She also recognised the roles played by the Judicial Council, Council of State and Parliament during the appointment process.
The three justices now join Ghana’s final appellate court, where their words will be tested in real disputes involving citizens, institutions and political power.
The promise is simple enough to make at a swearing in ceremony. Its weight will be measured in the judgments that follow.
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