Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie and others at the event
Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has urged judges and magistrates to balance the demands of judicial office with family, personal relationships and their wellbeing, noting that the robe should never require them to abandon their humanity.
Speaking at the 45th Annual Conference of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG) in Accra yesterday, the Chief Justice said the theme of the conference, “Balance Beyond the Bench – Harmonising Duty, Justice and Life,” offered an important opportunity for judicial officers to reflect not only on their professional responsibilities but also on the lives they lead outside the courtroom.
He said discussions about the Judiciary often focused on case backlogs, efficiency, judicial independence, technology and access to justice, but sometimes overlooked the human beings responsible for administering justice.
“Behind every judgment is a human being who has had to read, listen, deliberate and decide,” the Chief Justice said.
According to him, judges and magistrates routinely deal with cases involving liberty, property, family disputes and livelihoods, making judicial work a particularly demanding responsibility.
He said such responsibilities required intellectual discipline, emotional restraint, patience and courage, but added that the weight of the office should not consume the individual carrying it.
“The challenge is not to choose between being a judge and being a person; it is to learn how to be both, without allowing one to compromise the other,” the Chief Justice said.
The Chief Justice cautioned against a judicial culture in which constant exhaustion is regarded as evidence of commitment.
He urged them to strike a balance between their duties and personal lives, to ensure that judicial officers remain sufficiently grounded and healthy to perform their responsibilities effectively.
“A judge can be committed to the work and still love his family,” the Chief Justice said, adding that magistrates and judges should be able to work hard without believing that exhaustion itself was proof of dedication.
Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie also encouraged judicial officers to recognise that caring for their wellbeing was not an indulgence, particularly because sound judgment is central to the administration of justice.
He also stressed that personal balance should not become an excuse for neglecting the public’s need for timely justice.
He said the welfare of judges and the needs of court users should therefore be viewed as complementary responsibilities.
Welfare And Accountability
The Chief Justice said the welfare of judges and magistrates is not merely an employment issue but has implications for judicial independence, institutional integrity and the quality of justice.
However, he said better conditions must be accompanied by responsibility and performance.
“We must demand good conditions, but we must also demand good performance,” he said.
The Chief Justice added that judicial independence should not be understood as freedom from accountability, saying institutional support, discipline, independence and responsibility must operate together.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, in a speech read for him by the Director Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, cautioned that creating a balance between judicial duties and personal life should not be misunderstood as a retreat from duty.
“Rather, it is about creating the conditions that enable judicial officers to discharge that duty sustainably, effectively and with the clarity of mind that justice demands,” he pointed out.
He called for appropriate working conditions, security, healthcare, reasonable workloads, adequate administrative support and opportunities for rest and professional development for judges and magistrates, noting that all these contribute to the quality of justice delivered to the Ghanaian people.
President of the AMJG, Justice Olivia Obeng Owusu, said magistrates and judges across the country continue to face significant resource constraints, including lack of official vehicles to facilitate their work.
She said various allowances essential to the performance of judicial functions remain unpaid or delayed, and the absence of financial clearance to enable magistrates and judges engage supporting staff, even though by their conditions of service they are entitled to do so, remain some of the challenges.
“If judges are to harmonise duty, justice and life, they must be given the necessary protection and support to discharge their responsibilities effectively and independently,” Justice Owusu said.
She therefore called on all stakeholders to create conditions that will enable magistrates and judges to perform their constitutional mandate effectively while maintaining the balance necessary for healthy and fulfilling lives.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak