The coordinator for Public Defenders, former associate justice J.D. Baryogai Junius, on Thursday bitterly criticized Associate Justices on the Supreme Court bench for discouraging judges from learning after Associate Justice Philip A.Z. Banks challenged judges to learn more.

Justice, Cllr. Banks urged trial judges to learn more in order to surmount the huge challenges of improving the judicial system.

"We are aware of the problems, but we want to encourage you to continue to move one step forward in your legal profession for the good of the judiciary system," Justice Banks told trial judges during the opening of a judicial conference at the Temple of Justice.

But, responding, Cllr. Baryogai Junius argued that Supreme Court Justices rather discouraged judicial officials from learning and making improvement because they were employing unqualified people into the system.

"They are discouraging impetus. What do I mean? They discourage judges at randomly. When we were in school we always fought to be the dux, which meant the first place. But if you are taking judges from zero grade to put them over other judges who make 'A' definitely there will be no impetus...nobody will be anxious to learn more or performance better," Cllr. Junius fumed.

Speaking at the ongoing 4th National Judicial Conference for trial judges here, Cllr. Junius said, "Our society is so rotten that except we agree and decide to change we will not get anyway.

"People go to the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law and graduate...where is the impetus and initiate?"

He said putting somebody with a lower grade over another person having a higher grade would produce "no good performance".

"Let's discourage that in order to get a good result," he told the Bench.

He maintained that merit system was highly significant for the judiciary system, adding, "Judges needs to be screened here in order live up to the tasks in the legal profession".

"You need to practice for certain years before you apply as counselor-at-law. And certain years you must practice law before sitting on the Supreme Court bench. But you must have been a judge," he noted.

Cllr. Junius wondered: "But see who they are taking now. No encouragement. You pick somebody who does not go to court and make him an associate justice. You pick somebody who is walking in the streets of Monrovia and make him a judge. You think it will encourage judges to performance well, he retorted?"

"The answer is a big NO," Cllr. Junius replied, adding, "We have to change our behavior in order to more forward".

Former chief justices, Cllr. Henry Reed Cooper and Cllr. Frances Johnson-Allison attended the opening of the two-day trial judges conference expected to today at the Temple of Justice.