Parliament approves Gertrude Torkornoo as Chief Justice

Parliament has officially approved the nomination of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo as the Chief Justice of Ghana.

The decision came after the Appointments Committee of Parliament unanimously endorsed her candidacy following her vetting on May 26, 2023.

President Akufo-Addo nominated Justice Torkornoo in April 2023 to succeed Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, who retired from the position on May 24.

In the lead-up to her confirmation by the house, Governs Kwame Agbodza, the Minority Chief Whip, called upon Justice Torkornoo to exceed the accomplishments of her predecessor, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, who retired from his post recently.

Earlier on, the minority caucus had initially suspended its consensus approval of the Chief Justice nominee, pending the full judgment of the Supreme Court on the dual citizenship case involving James Gyakye Quayson, the former Member of Parliament for Assin North.

Speaking to the media, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga said although the minority caucus disagrees with the ruling of the apex court, it will not withhold its approval of the Chief Justice nominee.

“Thankfully, the reasoning in the James Gyakye Quayson case has been delivered by the Supreme Court earlier than 7th June. This has afforded us the opportunity to review the reasoning. The nominee for the post of Chief Justice (Justice Gertrude Araba Essaba Torkornoo) told the whole world that she is a textualist in her preferred approach to interpreting the Constitution of Ghana 1992.”

Justice Torkornoo has now become the third female Chief Justice in history, following the footsteps of Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.

She is President Akufo-Addo’s third appointment to the office of Chief Justice since he assumed office in January 2017.