MONROVIA – Liberia’s Supreme Court Justices boycotted the national Law Day Ceremony on Friday, following sharp criticism from the Bar Association over their April 23 ruling in the ongoing legislative leadership crisis.
Held at the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, the event proceeded without Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh or any Associate Justices in attendance. The absence was glaring. The Bench’s seats remained empty through both sessions of the ceremony, which had been slated to feature the Chief Justice delivering the traditional Law Day message.
The boycott comes on the heels of sharp public criticism from the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA), which has condemned the Supreme Court’s April 23, 2025 ruling affirming Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa as Speaker of the House. That judgment also nullified all legislative actions taken in his absence by lawmakers loyal to Rep. Richard Koon. LNBA President Cllr. Bornor Varmah had, earlier in the week, accused the Court of “judicial overreach” and warned that it had crossed constitutional lines.
“The Supreme Court has indicted itself by benefiting from a process it declared unconstitutional,” Varmah charged. “All persons who participated in the process and/or have benefited from it are guilty of having participated in an illegal process and facilitated the consummation of its illegality.”
A Pattern of Protest
On January 27, 2025, the Full Bench also refused to attend President Joseph Boakai’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Capitol. Their conspicuous absence was interpreted as a rebuke of the controversial recognition of Rep. Richard Koon as Acting Speaker of the House—a leadership change that followed Speaker Fonati Koffa’s contested removal.
Fallout and Backlash
Legal professionals present at Friday’s Law Day event expressed disbelief at the Supreme Court’s absence—especially as Chief Justice Yuoh had ordered a suspension of all court activities nationwide to facilitate judicial participation.
“This is not a coincidence,” a senior judge said. “The Justices are clearly sending a message to the Bar and the wider legal community.”
Delivering the keynote, former Chief Justice Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott spoke to the tension, indirectly addressing the LNBA’s criticisms. “The Supreme Court has spoken,” she declared. “The impasse at the lower House is based on politics, not law. The Bar must protect its independence while respecting the boundaries of judicial authority.”
She cautioned legal professionals against undermining settled judicial opinions and emphasized their responsibility to advise clients in line with final rulings.
Bar vs. Bench
Under the theme “Justice, Accountability and Inclusion: Building a Stronger Liberia Under the Rule of Law,” this year’s Law Day was meant to highlight national unity. But the absence of the country’s top judicial figures laid bare a rift that now threatens institutional coherence.
In his critique of the Bench’s April 23, 2025 ruling, Cllr. Varmah accused the Court of using a Bill of Information—meant for clarifying earlier decisions—to issue a judgment on a matter exclusively reserved for legislative discretion. He cited Liberia’s Political Question Doctrine, asserting the Court had no authority to interfere in the Legislature’s internal leadership arrangements.
“The Judiciary must not interfere in areas explicitly assigned to the Executive and Legislature unless there is a clear violation of rights or due process,” Varmah said.
To restore institutional harmony, the LNBA proposed an Independent Mediation Committee, comprising former Chief Justices, civil society leaders, the Interreligious Council, and the Bar itself.
“We will not sit idly by while constitutional order is undermined under the guise of legal interpretation,” Varmah said, pledging continued advocacy for constitutional checks and balances.
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