Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has charged lawyers, judges and staff of the Judicial Service not only to discharge their duties with excellence but with empathy.
“Let this legal year be one in which we will not only discharge our duties with excellence, but also with empathy,” he said.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie urged them to see every case filed not “as a docket number, but a story, a life, a citizen who deserve our best.”
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said this at reception held at the weekend to open the 68th Legal Year at the Fore Court of the Supreme Court in Accra.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the judges of the superior and lower courts for their dedication to duty and sacrifice.
“Your work often requires you to labour long hours, to wrest with difficult questions of law, and make decision that affect lives in profound ways. For this the nation owes you a debt of gratitude,”
To the staff of the Judicial Service, Justice Baffoe Bonnie said they were the backbone of the service.
“The clerk, Registrars, bailiffs, interpreters, ICT officers, cleaners, security and administrators, you formed the silent engine that keeps our courts running. The public may rarely see you on the bench, but without you justice will grind to a halt.”
To the bar, the Acting Chief Justice described them as “ever-present partners in justice,” who kept them on their toes and help shape the law through their advocacy and scholarship.
“The courts could not fulfill their mission without you. Even when your submissions stretch our patience, you know they sharpen our judgements.
“So let us continue to view each other not as opponent, but as allies in the search for truth and fairness.
“Without any one of us, judges, staff, or lawyers, the edifice of justice would not stand,” he said.
The Acting CJ said as they journeyed through the new legal year, stakeholders needed to double their efforts in three key areas; accessibility, efficiency, and integrity.
On Accessibility, he said no one, regardless of social or economic standing, should be denied justice.
He said it was important that the processes of the court was timely and effective, and judges’ decisions and conducts inspired confidence.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie expressed confidence that if all stakeholders worked together, supported one another, and kept the spirit of service alive the Judiciary would not overcome the challenges but also leave behind a legacy that future generations would be proud of.
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