Published: August 17, 2026
Monrovia – He once made a living freezing moments in time. Today he makes rulings that shape lives.
Judge Colston Zuomie, Sr. is proof that a career change is possible when talent meets tenacity. The former photographer, well known in media circles, has now taken his seat on the bench after completing Liberia’s Professional Magistrates Training Program.
Zuomie’s story starts in Tappita, Nimba County. In 1995, while a student at St. Francis Catholic High School, he picked up a camera. The guidance of Fr. Justice O’Bryan, an English priest then posted to Tappita, helped the teenager turn a hobby into a skill.
After graduating in 1996, he headed to Monrovia and set up on Broad Street. Under the late Bob Philips, Zuomie sharpened his craft and quickly became a respected name among photographers. That reputation led to leadership posts, including Interim President of the National Photographers Union of Liberia and a seat on its National Advisory Council.
In 2010, Zuomie’s work brought him through the doors of the Liberian National Bar Association, where he served as the LNBA’s official cameraman for 15 years. Two years later he added another role, working as a contract photographer with the Law Reform Commission.
Day after day, he documented trials, press conferences and legal proceedings. The constant exposure did more than fill his memory cards. It sparked a genuine respect for the law and for the men and women who administer it.
Fueled by that admiration and a personal drive, Zuomie enrolled in Cycle 5 of the Professional Magistrates Training Program at the James A.A. Pierre Judicial Institute. He completed the course and made the rare leap from recording justice to delivering it.
Now being appointed as Associate Magistrate at the Kpablee Magisterial court in Nimba and addressed as Judge Colston Zuomie, Sr., he says the journey has been guided by faith and hard work. “This is the moment we have been running after,” he reflected on his path from his production space to the courtroom.
Zuomie’s transition is drawing attention because it is uncommon. Few professionals move from media work directly into the judiciary. For many young Liberians, his story is being read as a reminder that discipline and vision can open new doors, no matter where you start.
From capturing images on Broad Street to interpreting the law from the bench, Judge Zuomie has traded his camera for a gavel, and in doing so, turned a passion for storytelling into a commitment to justice.
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