- Justice Dennis Adjei says retirement age of 70 is adequate due to workload
- Adjei contrasts Ghana’s system with U.S. “senior judge” status and UK’s age increase to 75
- Justice Senyo Dzamefe also rejects extending retirement age to 75
Supreme Court nominee Justice Sir Dennis Adjei has firmly opposed proposals to raise the mandatory retirement age for judges in Ghana, arguing that the current limit of 70 should remain due to the demanding nature of judicial work and its impact on health.
Speaking during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, June 17, Justice Adjei rejected suggestions for constitutional amendments to increase the retirement age for Supreme Court justices.
“In Ghana, 70 is appropriate. Many judges retire and within two years pass away, largely because of the intense workload we endure,” he stated.
Addressing comparisons with countries like the United States, where federal judges serve for life, Justice Adjei explained that the two systems differ significantly. In the U.S., judges can choose “senior judge” status from age 65, allowing them to significantly reduce their caseload.
“They have a system where senior judges may choose to handle only a third or half of their usual cases. By age 80 or 90, the volume of work is optional,” he explained. “Meanwhile, just in 2009, the UK extended its judicial retirement age to 75.”
Despite such examples, Justice Adjei emphasized that Ghana’s judiciary faces a workload far too heavy to justify extending tenure. He stressed that the physical demands of the job make timely retirement essential for judges’ wellbeing.
Fellow Supreme Court nominee Justice Senyo Dzamefe also voiced strong opposition to increasing the retirement age for Supreme Court and Court of Appeal justices from 70 to 75.
“I do not support raising the retirement age to 75,” Justice Dzamefe stated. “Currently, superior court judges retire on their salaries, which is a fair system.”
He noted that while age and experience were once seen as critical for delivering respected judgments, modern technology has shifted that dynamic.
“In the past, experience came with age, and that lent weight to judicial opinions. But today, technology provides access to information and insight much earlier,” he said. “In my view, 70 remains an appropriate retirement age.”
