The Chief Justice of Ghana is the highest judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana

Supreme Court of Ghana

The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive arms of government.-History:...

. The Chief Justice is also the head of the Judiciary of Ghana

Judiciary of Ghana

The Judiciary of Ghana comprises the Superior Courts of Judicature, established under the 1992 Constitution, and the Inferior Courts, established by Parliament. The hierarchy of courts derives largely from British juridical forms...

 and is responsible for its administration and supervision. In order of state precedence, the Chief Justice is the fourth highest official in Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

.

Historical background

The Supreme Court Ordinance of 1876 ended the 10 year absence of a Supreme Court

Supreme court

A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...

, establishing a Supreme Court of Judicature for the Gold Coast Colony

Gold Coast (British colony)

The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...

. The court consisted of the Chief Justice and not more than four puisne

Puisne

Puisne is a legal term of art used mainly in British English meaning "inferior in rank." It is pronounced like the word puny, and the word, so spelled, has become an ordinary adjective meaning weak or undersized.The judges and barons of the common law courts at...

judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

s. This led to the appointment of the first Chief Justice, Sir David Patrick Chambers by the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 colonial authorities in 1876. The nature of the office of Chief Justice evolved with the years. The 1954 Gold Coast constitution provided for the Chief Justice to be appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister while other judges and judicial officers were appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission. Under the 1957 Ghana constitution, on the attainment of independence, the Chief Justice and all superior justices were appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister as the Judicial Service Commission was abolished. Sir Kobina Arku Korsah

Kobina Arku Korsah

Sir Kobina Arku Korsah was the first black Chief Justice of Ghana in 1956.Arku Korsah was educated at Mfantsipim School, Fourah Bay College, Durham University and London University...

 became the first Ghanaian Chief Justice. Under the 1969 constitution, the Chief Justice was appointed by the President acting in consultation with the Council of State. The office has not changed much since the 1979 constitution though the court system underwent a lot of changes under various military governments between 1972 and 1993.

Appointment and office tenure

The Chief Justice is appointed by the President of Ghana

President of Ghana

The President of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana. Officially styled President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghanaian Armed Forces. The current President of Ghana is Prof. John Atta Mills, who took office in January...

 in consultation with the Council of State of Ghana and with the approval of the Parliament of Ghana

Parliament of Ghana

The Parliament of Ghana is the legislative body of the Ghanaian government.-History:Legislative representation in Ghana dates back to 1850, when the country was a British colony. The body, called the Legislative Council, was purely advisory as the Governor exercised all legislative and executive...

. A person qualified to be the Chief Justice of Ghana must be of a high moral character and have proven integrity,. S/he must have been a lawyer for at least fifteen years to have been eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court in the first place. Where the office of the Chief Justice is vacant or the Chief Justice is incapacitated and unable to carry out his duties, the most senior of the Justices of the Supreme Court is expected to act in his place until he is able to resume or a new substantive Chief Justice is appointed by the President. The Chief Justice and any other justice of the Superior Courts may voluntarily retire on reaching the age of 60 years or stay on till the compulsory retiring age of 70 years.

Supreme Court and other superior courts

The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice and at least nine other judges. The Chief Justice is expected to preside at all sittings of the Supreme Court whenever he or she is present. The Chief Justice oversees the administration of the Court of Appeal of which he or she is the most senior member. He or she is also a member and administrator of the High Court

Judiciary of Ghana

The Judiciary of Ghana comprises the Superior Courts of Judicature, established under the 1992 Constitution, and the Inferior Courts, established by Parliament. The hierarchy of courts derives largely from British juridical forms...

 and the Regional Tribunals.

Judicial Council

The Chief Justice is the chairman of the Judicial Council of Ghana. The council is expected to propose judicial reforms to the Ghana government to help improve the level of administration of justice and efficiency in the Judiciary. It is also expected to be a forum to enhance the administration of justice in Ghana.

Other duties

• Administer the Presidential oath and the Vice Presidential oaths before parliament prior to both assuming their offices.
• Administer the oath of allegiance and the judicial oathto all justices of the Superior Courts or designate someone to act in his stead.
• Chairman of the Rules of Court Committee which makes rules regulating the practice and procedure of all courts in Ghana.
• To set up a tribunal to resolve grievances against the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
• Convene and chair a tribunal to oversee proceedings relating to the removal of the President of Ghana
  President of Ghana
  The President of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana. Officially styled President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghanaian Armed Forces. The current President of Ghana is Prof. John Atta Mills, who took office in January...
  
   from office.
• Appoint Judicial officers on the advice of the Judicial Council and subject to the approval of the President.

Current Chief Justice

The current Chief Justice is Georgina Theodora Wood

Georgina Theodora Wood

Georgina Theodora Wood is a judge and also a former police prosecution officer. She is the Chief Justice of Ghana and the first woman to occupy that position.-Early life and education:...

. The Parliament of Ghana approved her nomination on 1 June 2007 following the death of George Kingsley Acquah

George Kingsley Acquah

Justice George Kingsley Acquah was the twenty-third Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. He was appointed as Chief Justice on 4 July 2003 and was the incumbent until his death...

 on March 25, 2007. She becomes Ghana's first female Chief Justice.
Justice Francois Yaonansu Kpegah, the most senior of the Supreme Court judges acted as Chief Justice between March 2007 and June 2007.. He handed over to Georgina Wood on 15 June 2007.

List of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court

Since its inception in 1876, the Supreme Court has had 24 Chief Justices, including 12 in the Gold Coast era.

Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the Gold Coast
Chief Justice	Time frame	Period
Sir David Patrick Chambers	1876 - 1878	Gold Coast
P. A. Smith	1878 - 1879	Gold Coast
Sir James Marshall	1880 - 1882	Gold Coast
N. Lessingham Bailey	1882 - 1886	Gold Coast
H. W Macleod	1886 - 1889	Gold Coast
J. T Hutchinson	1889 - 1895	Gold Coast
Sir William Brandford Griffith William Brandford Griffith (judge) Sir William Brandford Griffith was a British legal writer and colonial judge, Chief Justice of the Gold Coast from 1895 to 1911.William Brandford Griffith was the eldest son of William Brandford Griffith, Governor of the Gold Coast from 1885 to 1895. He was educated at London University,...	1895 - 1911	Gold Coast
Philip Crampton Smyly Philip Crampton Smyly Philip Crampton Smyly may refer to:*Sir Philip Crampton Smyly , chief justice of Ghana*Sir Philip Crampton Smyly , surgeon, laryngologist and honorary physician to Queen Victoria...	1911 - 1928	Gold Coast
Sir George Campbell Deane	1929 - 1935	Gold Coast
Sir Philip Bertie Petrides	1936 - 1943	Gold Coast
Sir Walter Harrangin	1943 - 1947	Gold Coast
Sir Mark Wilson	1948 - 1956	Gold Coast
Sir Kobina Arku Korsah Kobina Arku Korsah Sir Kobina Arku Korsah was the first black Chief Justice of Ghana in 1956.Arku Korsah was educated at Mfantsipim School, Fourah Bay College, Durham University and London University...	1956 - 5 March 1957	Gold Coast
Chief Justices of Ghana
Chief Justice	Time frame	Period
Sir Kobina Arku Korsah Kobina Arku Korsah Sir Kobina Arku Korsah was the first black Chief Justice of Ghana in 1956.Arku Korsah was educated at Mfantsipim School, Fourah Bay College, Durham University and London University...	6 March 1957 - 1963	Ghana - 1st Republic
J. Sarkodee-Addo J. Sarkodee-Addo Justice J. Sarkodee-Addo was the second Chief Justice of Ghana during the First Republic.He was educated at King's College London, admitted to Inner Temple in 1928, and called to the Bar in 1932. He replaced the first native Ghanaian chief justice, Sir Kobina Arku Korsah in 1964...	1964 - 1966	1st Republic
Edward Akufo-Addo Edward Akufo-Addo Edward Akufo-Addo was a politician and lawyer in Ghana. He was one of the Big Six in the fight for Ghana's independence. He also became the Chief Justice and later President of the Republic of Ghana.-Education:...	1966 - 1970	military rule (1966-1969) 2nd Republic (1969-1970)
Edmund Alexander Lanquaye Bannerman Edmund Alexander Lanquaye Bannerman Edmund Alexander Lanquaye Bannerman was the Chief Justice of Ghana between 1970 and 1972. He was the fourth person to hold this position since Ghana became an independent nation...	1970 -1972	2nd Republic
Samuel Azu Crabbe Samuel Azu Crabbe Samuel Azu Crabbe was a barrister, solicitor and jurist. He was the fifth Chief Justice of Ghana since it became an independent nation...	1973 - 1977	military rule
Fred Kwasi Apaloo Fred Kwasi Apaloo Frederick Kwasi Apaloo was a Ghanaian barrister who has served as Chief Justice of both Ghana and later Kenya.-Early life:...	1977 - 1986	military rule (1977-1979) 3rd Republic (24 September 1979-31 December 1981) military rule (31 December 1981-1986)
E. N. P. Sowah E. N. P. Sowah -Career:He presided over the case brought by Amaoako Tuffuor, a Ghanaian citizen, when the People's National Party government of Hilla Limann attempted to replace Justice Fred Kwasi Apaloo as the Chief Justice of Ghana by vetting him...	1986 - 1990	military rule
Philip Edward Archer Philip Edward Archer Philip Edward Archer was the Chief Justice of Ghana between 1991 and 1995. He was the eighth person to hold this position since Ghana became an independent nation.-Life:...	1991 - 1995	military rule (1991-1993) 4th Republic (1993-1995)
Isaac Kobina Abban Isaac Kobina Abban Isaac Kobina Donkor Abban was the Chief Justice of Ghana between 1995 and 2001. He was the ninth person to hold this position since Ghana became an independent nation.-Electoral Commissioner:Justice Abban was called to the bar on 18 April 1959...	1995 - April 21, 2001	4th Republic
Edward Kwame Wiredu Edward Kwame Wiredu Edward Kwame Wiredu was the Chief Justice of Ghana between 2001 and 2003. He was the tenth since Ghana became an independent nation...	2001 - 2003	4th Republic
George Kingsley Acquah George Kingsley Acquah Justice George Kingsley Acquah was the twenty-third Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. He was appointed as Chief Justice on 4 July 2003 and was the incumbent until his death...	July 4, 2003 - March 25, 2007	4th Republic
Georgina Theodora Wood Georgina Theodora Wood Georgina Theodora Wood is a judge and also a former police prosecution officer. She is the Chief Justice of Ghana and the first woman to occupy that position.-Early life and education:...	June 15, 2007 -	4th Republic

External links

• List of Judges of the Superior Court of Judicature
• Chapter 11 of the 1992 Ghana constitution:The Judiciary