ABEDNEGO DAVIS
Africa-Press – Liberia. The judge of the Civil Law Court, Nelson Chineh, has said that there is a need for judges who do not conform to Chief Justice Sie -A-Nyene Yuoh’s rebranding exercise of the Judiciary to be “seriously” punished.
“The public perception of the judiciary is bad. The vision of Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh is to work against this negative public perception of the Judiciary by rebranding its image,” Chineh told the gathering at the opening of the June 2023 Term of the Civil Law Courts A and B, at the Temple of Justice.
However, Chineh believes that for the transformation and rebranding to be effective and efficient, bad judicial actors must be named, shamed and punished.
“Judicial actors must also be involved and participate in continued judicial or legal education,” the Civil Law Court Judge added. “Thereafter, reprimand those actors who will refuse to conform,” Chineh recommended, adding that he has observed that the image of the judiciary is being dragged in the mud.
“It is a known fact that the public perception of the judiciary is one of fraud and corruption. Attaining this feat will incorporate the diligence of all justice sector actors including judges, lawyers, clerical staff, and ministerial officers, to include the police,” the civil law court judge maintained.
He said, the manner and form in which each of these justice actors acts in discharging their respective tasks impact positively or negatively the public perception of the court system in the country. He emphasizes that judges, as heads of the courts, must learn to take full responsibility for the operation of the court, if they want the public perception of the judiciary to shift positively, “thereby rebranding the image of the judiciary.”
Some of the actions of a judge that would help to change the public perception of the Judiciary, he said, “a judge must be punctual in attending the court; he or she must always exhibit a sense of neutrality.”
As a judge, he said, it is expected of them to possess some basic qualities to include but not limited to being knowledgeable in the law.
“The judges must always be cognizant of the fact that support staff and lawyers look up to them for leadership and guidance,” he said.
According to him, there are certain qualities a judge is required by law to possess, and certain characteristics he or she must exhibit. For instance, the civil law court judge maintained, “a judge must know that his or her control over the court must be felt at all times by all court users. He or she must put into place a control mechanism to ensure that activities carried out in the court must at all times be in conformity with the law.”
He said, when a judge takes control of his or her court, that judge sets a standard for court support staff and lawyers to follow.
“Judges must be afforded the opportunity for continued judicial education just as practicing lawyers are privileged to participate in continued legal education since laws are dynamic or involving.
This will bring a positive change to the manner and forms in which business is conducted in the courtroom,” Chineh added.
Source: Liberian Observer
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