Associate Justice Sie-A Nyene Yuoh will be sworn in as the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Yesterday, 20 members of the Liberian Senate seated in plenary thereby confirmed her as the successor of Francis Korkpor who retires as Chief Justice this September; though he will end this term of court as per the law.
Korkpor is required to continue in office until the end of the March A. D. 2022 Term of Court to enable him perform judicial responsibilities before him which he entertained prior to his 70th birthday as provided for by the Constitution of Liberia.
The Chief Justice Korkpor is expected to hand down opinions of the Supreme Court at the close of this term of Court.
Meanwhile, besides those in the Liberian Senate who voted ‘yes’ to confirm her as Chief Justice, five voted ‘no’ while Bong County’s Prince Moye abstained.
Those who voted against the nominee’s confirmation included Senators Abraham Darius Dillon; Nyonblee karnga-Lawrence, Jonathan Kaipay, Steve Zargo and Emmanuel Zoe Pennue.
Justice Yuoh, who ranks third on the Korkpor Bench in the Supreme Court, was designated to replace the retiring Chief Justice based on nomination from President George Weah.
The Senate’s Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Petitions and Claims headed by Varney Sherman held a confirmation hearing and took forth its recommendation to the plenary entreating their colleagues to confirm her based on her competence, wealth of experience and moral characteristics.
In the analysis read in session, the committee asserted that the nominee possesses ‘all’ the qualifications as required by Article 68 of the Constitution to serve as Chief Justice for the Supreme Court of Liberia.
The committee indicated that Justice Yuoh is a citizen of Liberia who possesses moral character and most vitally had been a counselor in the Supreme Court Bar for five years in addition to her 40 years of legal practice in Liberia.
The Senate’s Committee convinced their colleagues reiterating that the nominee’s character and integrity are of the highest level, adding, “Both constitutional requirements Article 68(a) of the Constitution for serving as a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court were satisfied by the Chief Justice-designate to the Judiciary Committee.”
Chief Justice Korkpor retires on September 5, 2022 as he attains the age 70 pursuant to Article 72(b) of the 1986 Liberian Constitution.
Article 72 (b) provides that, “The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of subordinate courts of record shall be retired at the age of seventy; provided, however, that a Justice or judge who has attained that age may continue in office for as long as may be necessary to enable him to render judgment or perform any other judicial duty in regard to proceedings entertained by him before he attained that age.”
