Mahama swears in three new Supreme Court judges, urges independence and public trust

President John Dramani Mahama has sworn in three new Justices of the Supreme Court, charging them to uphold the Constitution, protect judicial independence, and strengthen public confidence in Ghana’s justice system.

The new justices are Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, and Anthony Forson Jnr, a private legal practitioner and former President of the Ghana Bar Association.

The three were sworn into office on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at Jubilee House, following their approval by Parliament. Their nominations were made in consultation with the Judicial Council, in accordance with Article 128 of the 1992 Constitution .

A court of profound national importance

Speaking at the ceremony, President Mahama said the Supreme Court occupies a unique and indispensable place in Ghana’s constitutional democracy as the country’s final judicial authority.

“The Supreme Court occupies a unique and indispensable place in governing our Republic. As the final judicial authority, its decisions give meaning to our Constitution, settle questions of profound national importance, and shape the evolution of our laws,” he said.

He said public confidence in the Court depended on its ability to determine cases independently, impartially, and strictly according to the law.

The oath is ‘consequential, not ceremonial’

President Mahama urged the new justices to demonstrate sound judgment, integrity, intellectual courage, and a commitment to justice in the discharge of their duties.

“The oath you have taken today is consequential, not ceremonial. It is a solemn covenant with the people of Ghana. It requires you to administer justice without fear or favour, affection or ill will, and to defend the Constitution of Ghana at all times,” he said.

The President also stressed the importance of judicial independence, saying it was a protection for citizens to ensure that their rights were fairly determined, particularly in politically sensitive or difficult cases.

Diverse experiences to strengthen the bench

President Mahama noted that the three justices brought diverse professional and judicial experiences that would strengthen the work of the Supreme Court .

Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah is the only female among the three nominees and currently serves as a Justice of the Court of Appeal. She has more than three decades of experience in legal practice and the judiciary, having begun her career as an Assistant State Attorney in the Civil Division of the Office of the Attorney General . She later moved into corporate legal practice, serving as Senior Legal Counsel at the Volta River Authority, Legal Services Manager at Tema Oil Refinery, and Company Solicitor and Secretary to the Board of Directors of TOR .

She was appointed a High Court judge in July 2011 by the late President John Evans Atta Mills, and elevated to the Court of Appeal in December 2019 by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo . She was first nominated for the Supreme Court in 2024 but was not vetted.

President Mahama said her elevation recognised the competence, discipline, and dedication she had demonstrated throughout her judicial career, and that her extensive experience on the bench would contribute to the development of Ghanaian jurisprudence .

Justice Edward Amoako Asante brings considerable national and regional judicial experience to the Supreme Court, having served as a Justice of the Court of Appeal and former President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice . He was appointed to the ECOWAS Court in July 2018 and served as its sixth President until October 2024, having been re-elected twice to the role .

He received his legal education from the University of Ghana and the Ghana School of Law, and was admitted to the Ghana Bar in 1991 . His judicial career began in 2002 when he was appointed a Circuit Court Judge, and he was elevated to the High Court in 2008, serving as Supervising High Court Judge in the Western Region .

In October 2025, Justice Asante was elected to the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council, an 18-member think tank for the Council . Ghana’s nomination letter described him as “a distinguished jurist and seasoned international legal expert whose extensive experience in human rights law, international humanitarian law, and judicial administration makes him an outstanding candidate” .

President Mahama said Justice Asante’s experience at the regional court had exposed him to issues involving regional integration, treaty obligations, human rights, and the relationship between domestic and international law, and that this would provide a valuable perspective to the Supreme Court’s deliberations .

Anthony Forson Jnr is the only nominee from private legal practice and is a former President of the Ghana Bar Association . He is the son of Anthony Forson, a former Attorney General of Ghana who served in 1993 and later as Ghana’s High Commissioner to India .

President Mahama said Forson’s experience in private legal practice, coupled with his institutional experience from leading the Ghana Bar Association, would bring practical insights to the work of the Court .

A judiciary under strain

The swearing-in ceremony comes at a turbulent period for Ghana’s judiciary. In September 2025, President Mahama removed Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo from office, the first such removal in the history of the Fourth Republic . The Pwamang Committee, established to probe petitions seeking her removal, found grounds of misbehaviour and recommended her dismissal .

More recently, the suspended Chief Justice suffered another legal defeat in September 2026 when the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed her injunction application against the committee probing the petitions seeking her removal .

Against this backdrop, President Mahama’s call for the new justices to uphold judicial independence and public confidence carries particular weight. He called on the judiciary to pursue reforms to improve efficiency, embrace appropriate technology, and make justice more accessible to Ghanaians.

He congratulated the three new justices and urged them to let the Constitution guide their decisions and to approach every case with humility, patience, courage, and fairness.