Johnnie Lewis
Encyclopedia
Johnnie N. Lewis is the 18th and current Chief Justice of Liberia
. A native of Sinoe County
, Lewis was educated at the University of Liberia
in Monrovia
and at Yale Law School
in the United States
. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court
, he served as a judge in Liberia’s circuit court system.
, Sinoe County, Liberia on April 16, 1946. His father was a lawyer while his mother was a school teacher in a family with four boys and two girls. He earned an education at St. Joseph's Catholic Elementary School followed by Sinoe High School.
For college he attended the University of Liberia
in Monrovia where he earned a bachelor of arts degree, followed by a bachelor of laws degree from the university’s Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law
. Graduating in 1969, he earned cum laude honors from the law school and was editor of the Liberian Law Journal. Lewis was admitted to the country’s bar association that year before moving to the United States to continue his legal education. He graduated from Yale Law School
in 1971 with a masters in law degree.
in 1971 and began teaching at his former law school. In 1975, he was appointed to the Third Judicial Circuit Court in his home county by Liberian President William R. Tolbert, Jr.
, replacing his deceased father. In 1980, the government was overthrown and he left the judiciary. Lewis returned to the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law in 1984 and served as dean of the school until 1991. That year he also assisted with the transitional government as legal adviser to the president of the interim government.
In private practice in Monrovia
, Lewis was once a partner in the Lewis & Lewis Law Offices. While living in that city his home was invaded by gunmen search for him, and though he escaped, a nephew was killed for failing to tell these men his uncle’s whereabouts. Lewis then spent 1993 to 2003 outside of Liberia, working mainly with the United Nations
. Employment with that agency led him to Bosnia and Somalia
. He has also written two law textbooks, one on criminal law in Liberia and the other on wills and estates.
In 2006, the Liberian Bar Association recommended Lewis be nominated by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to serve as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia
. President Johnson-Sirleaf then nominated him in February and he was confirmed by the Liberian Senate on March 2, 2006. Lewis was commissioned as the new Chief Justice on March 3. Upon taking office, he vowed to fight corruption that had plagued the judicial branch in the country.
in April 2006 after they failed to report to their assigned courts. In July 2006, the car Lewis was riding in to the funeral of former justice Emmanuel Wureh hit and killed a pedestrian who was jaywalking
. The car was driven by a court employee and was speeding at the time of the accident in an attempt to catch up with the funeral procession
. An angry mob surrounded the vehicle and Lewis and the other passengers had to be rescued by the Liberian National Police
.
In a 3-2 decision with Lewis voting in the majority, the court declared the removal of House Speaker Edwin Snowe
by the National Legislature
was illegal and ordered his reinstatement. The ruling in January 2007 also invalidated other actions of the legislature including a resolution to allow the Legislature to meet at the Unity Conference Center in Virginia
while the Capitol Building in Monrovia was being remodeled. This decision created a rift between some members of the legislature, President Johnson-Sirleaf, and the Supreme Court. In August 2007, the court allowed a criminal prosecution for corruption against former leader Gyude Bryant
to proceed in the lower courts.
In October 2007, the Chief Justice accused newspaper
s in the country of deliberately misspelling his name and using pictures of him inappropriately. He threatened to jail the editors and writers if the practice continued for contempt of court
. In January 2008, the court affirmed the national government's decision not to hold municipal elections due to budgetary constraints and allowed the President of Liberia to appoint mayors. The court determined that once money was available, the government must hold the elections, which had not been held since 1985.
Chief Justice of Liberia
The Chief Justice of Liberia is the head of the judicial branch of the Government of the Republic of Liberia and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Liberia.-Appointment and term:...
. A native of Sinoe County
Sinoe County
Sinoe is one of Liberia's 15 counties and it has 17 districts. Greenville is the county's capital.As of the 2008 Census, it had a population of 104,932, making it one of the least populous counties in Liberia....
, Lewis was educated at the University of Liberia
University of Liberia
The University of Liberia is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the school opened in 1863 as Liberia College and became a university in 1951. The school is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning...
in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
and at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Liberia
The Supreme Court of Liberia is the highest judicial body in the West African nation of Liberia. The court consists of the Chief Justice of Liberia and four Associate Justices, who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate...
, he served as a judge in Liberia’s circuit court system.
Early life
Johnnie N. Lewis was born to Roderick N. Lewis and Mary Houston-Lewis in GreenvilleGreenville, Liberia
Greenville, also known as Sinoe, is the capital of Sinoe County in southeastern Liberia and lies on a lagoon near the Sinoe River and the Atlantic Ocean...
, Sinoe County, Liberia on April 16, 1946. His father was a lawyer while his mother was a school teacher in a family with four boys and two girls. He earned an education at St. Joseph's Catholic Elementary School followed by Sinoe High School.
For college he attended the University of Liberia
University of Liberia
The University of Liberia is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the school opened in 1863 as Liberia College and became a university in 1951. The school is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning...
in Monrovia where he earned a bachelor of arts degree, followed by a bachelor of laws degree from the university’s Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law
Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law
Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law is the law school of the University of Liberia in Monrovia, Liberia. Founded in 1951, it is named after former Chief Justice of the Liberian Supreme Court, Louis Arthur Grimes. The school offers a three-year program leading to the granting of the Bachelor of Laws...
. Graduating in 1969, he earned cum laude honors from the law school and was editor of the Liberian Law Journal. Lewis was admitted to the country’s bar association that year before moving to the United States to continue his legal education. He graduated from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1971 with a masters in law degree.
Legal career
Lewis returned to Liberia where he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of LiberiaSupreme Court of Liberia
The Supreme Court of Liberia is the highest judicial body in the West African nation of Liberia. The court consists of the Chief Justice of Liberia and four Associate Justices, who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate...
in 1971 and began teaching at his former law school. In 1975, he was appointed to the Third Judicial Circuit Court in his home county by Liberian President William R. Tolbert, Jr.
William R. Tolbert, Jr.
William Richard Tolbert, Jr. was the 20th President of Liberia from 1971 to 1980.Trained as a civil servant, he entered the country's House of Representatives in 1955 for the True Whig Party, then the only established party in the country...
, replacing his deceased father. In 1980, the government was overthrown and he left the judiciary. Lewis returned to the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law in 1984 and served as dean of the school until 1991. That year he also assisted with the transitional government as legal adviser to the president of the interim government.
In private practice in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, Lewis was once a partner in the Lewis & Lewis Law Offices. While living in that city his home was invaded by gunmen search for him, and though he escaped, a nephew was killed for failing to tell these men his uncle’s whereabouts. Lewis then spent 1993 to 2003 outside of Liberia, working mainly with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Employment with that agency led him to Bosnia and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. He has also written two law textbooks, one on criminal law in Liberia and the other on wills and estates.
In 2006, the Liberian Bar Association recommended Lewis be nominated by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to serve as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia
Supreme Court of Liberia
The Supreme Court of Liberia is the highest judicial body in the West African nation of Liberia. The court consists of the Chief Justice of Liberia and four Associate Justices, who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate...
. President Johnson-Sirleaf then nominated him in February and he was confirmed by the Liberian Senate on March 2, 2006. Lewis was commissioned as the new Chief Justice on March 3. Upon taking office, he vowed to fight corruption that had plagued the judicial branch in the country.
The Lewis court
Chief Justice Lewis fired 34 judges in Sinoe CountySinoe County
Sinoe is one of Liberia's 15 counties and it has 17 districts. Greenville is the county's capital.As of the 2008 Census, it had a population of 104,932, making it one of the least populous counties in Liberia....
in April 2006 after they failed to report to their assigned courts. In July 2006, the car Lewis was riding in to the funeral of former justice Emmanuel Wureh hit and killed a pedestrian who was jaywalking
Jaywalking
Jaywalking is an informal term commonly used in North America to refer to illegal or reckless pedestrian crossing of a roadway. Examples include a pedestrian crossing between intersections without yielding to drivers and starting to cross a crosswalk at a signalized intersection without waiting...
. The car was driven by a court employee and was speeding at the time of the accident in an attempt to catch up with the funeral procession
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
. An angry mob surrounded the vehicle and Lewis and the other passengers had to be rescued by the Liberian National Police
Law enforcement in Liberia
The Liberian National Police is the national police force in Liberia.The Liberian National Police have 844 officers spread across 33 stations in Montserrado County, which contains the capital Monrovia, as of October 2007. Additionally, the National Police Training Academy is in Montserrado County...
.
In a 3-2 decision with Lewis voting in the majority, the court declared the removal of House Speaker Edwin Snowe
Edwin Snowe
Edwin Melvin Snowe, Jr. is a Liberian politician. He has served in the House of Representatives of Liberia since January 2006, and he was Speaker of the House of Representatives from January 2006 to February 2007.-Political career:...
by the National Legislature
Legislature of Liberia
The Legislature of Liberia is bicameral, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives , in the same manner as the Congress of the United States....
was illegal and ordered his reinstatement. The ruling in January 2007 also invalidated other actions of the legislature including a resolution to allow the Legislature to meet at the Unity Conference Center in Virginia
Virginia, Liberia
Virginia is a western suburb of Monrovia, located near the Atlantic Ocean and Saint Paul River in Liberia. It was the birthplace of Angie Brooks, the first African female president of the United Nations General Assembly....
while the Capitol Building in Monrovia was being remodeled. This decision created a rift between some members of the legislature, President Johnson-Sirleaf, and the Supreme Court. In August 2007, the court allowed a criminal prosecution for corruption against former leader Gyude Bryant
Gyude Bryant
Charles Gyude Bryant is a Liberian politician. He served as the Chairman of the Transitional Government of Liberia from 14 October 2003 to 16 January 2006...
to proceed in the lower courts.
In October 2007, the Chief Justice accused newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s in the country of deliberately misspelling his name and using pictures of him inappropriately. He threatened to jail the editors and writers if the practice continued for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
. In January 2008, the court affirmed the national government's decision not to hold municipal elections due to budgetary constraints and allowed the President of Liberia to appoint mayors. The court determined that once money was available, the government must hold the elections, which had not been held since 1985.