Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, has ousted public defenders from all magisterial courts for reasons best known to her.
The Chief Justice whose actions were not done through a written communication to public defenders at the magisterial courts; as such, withdrew the lawyers and commanded them to represent clients at the circuit courts’ level.
It is reported that the Chief Justice ordered the Coordinator of Public Defenders, Joseph B. Debblay to call his men from all magistrate courts and return to the circuit courts. With the Chief Justice’s order, Debblay wrote a brief memo to public defenders commanding them to leave all magisterial courts and return to the criminal courts.
Debblay’s notice to his colleagues which subjects state re- assignment reads: “By directive of Her Honor Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh, Chief Justice of the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia, all Public Defense Lawyers assigned in the Magisterial Courts of Montserrado County are to report to the main office of the Public Defenders as of Tuesday, October 1, 2024, for reassignment at the Circuit Courts. This should claim the attention of all concerned.”
Meanwhile, details surrounding the withdrawal of defense lawyers from the magisterial courts are yet to be known after frantic efforts by this media outlet to ascertain such details.
