Monrovia — Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, has made enhancing access to Justice and promoting competence in the judicial sector core components of the Five-Year Strategic Plan of the judiciary under her watch.
Launched on February 6, 2024, the plan outlines five strategic objectives aimed at enhancing access to justice, judicial efficiency, and professional development within the judiciary.
They include Quality and Expanded Infrastructure: Focuses on increasing access to justice through improved court infrastructure; Professional Development: Aims to build a more competent and professional judiciary; Efficient Case Management: Seeks to improve case handling and reduce delays; Criminal Justice Reform: Enhances the administration of criminal justice and Constitutional Rights and Integrity: Targets constitutional rights litigation and upholding judicial integrity.
Chief Justice Yuoh has emphasized the need for a comprehensive reorientation of the justice sector to align with the strategic plan's goals of judicial rebranding. As part of this effort, workshops and training programs are already underway, starting in the southeastern region in February 2024, with judiciary staff receiving training on the new strategic goals.
A continuous training initiative for judiciary employees is expected to enhance work performance and institutional capacity. Directors and their deputies are among those receiving early training to ensure effective implementation of the rebranding agenda. The training aims to promote institutional changes, behavioral modifications, and increased public awareness to boost confidence in the justice system.
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The Supreme Court has also committed to modernizing magisterial courts, emphasizing the importance of financial autonomy to maintain judicial independence.
Review of Court Rules and Professional Codes
Part of the five-year plan includes reviewing court rules, the professional code of conduct for lawyers, and judicial canons for judges. A committee, chaired by former Chief Justice Francis S. Korkpor, Sr., has been established to update these instruments, which were last reviewed in 1999. The review will address challenges in implementing court judgments and curbing frivolous lawsuits.
Justice Yusuf Kaba, a member of the review committee, has already toured several magisterial courts to assess their conditions. Many of these courts were found to be in deplorable conditions, posing serious health risks to magistrates, staff, and litigants. Despite these challenges, the Supreme Court commended the magistrates for their continued service and pledged to alleviate these hardships.
Proposed Modernization of Magisterial Courts
Under the leadership of Chief Justice Yuoh, the Supreme Court has developed a prototype design for modernized magisterial courts. These new courts will replace the structures built under the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) quick impact project following the 2003 civil war. The modernized courts will feature large and small courtrooms, magistrate chambers, and various support facilities, symbolizing a functional and independent judiciary in Liberia.
