Chief Justice links Supreme Court and chieftaincy in Kumasi lecture

Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has said the Supreme Court and the institution of chieftaincy, despite drawing authority from different traditions, are united by a shared purpose of preserving justice, securing peace and protecting human dignity.

He made the remarks at a lecture in Kumasi organised as part of activities marking the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The event, held under the patronage of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, examined the theme: “The Supreme Court and the Institution of Chieftaincy: The Past, Present and Future.”

The Chief Justice said the Court speaks through the Constitution while chieftaincy is rooted in custom and history. However, he said both institutions ultimately respond to the public need for justice to prevail over power and for authority to be guided by principle.

Referring to earlier forms of communal justice, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said disputes were often considered with the aim of restoring peace within a community, rather than simply determining a winning side. Although the forms through which justice is administered have changed, he said, the underlying responsibility has endured.

On the Supreme Court’s 150-year history, the Chief Justice described the institution as one built by successive generations who believed that justice required structures capable of lasting beyond individual officeholders. He said generations of legal practitioners and public servants had contributed learning, courage and resilience to its development.

He said institutions must outlive individuals, and noted that every generation has a responsibility either to strengthen or weaken what it inherits. The present generation, he added, must preserve what remains valuable, reform what requires change and leave a stronger institution for those who follow.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said chieftaincy illustrates the challenge of maintaining continuity while adapting for the future. He argued that the Judiciary faces a similar question: how to remain true to its purpose while improving its service to the public.

He said the anniversary should not be viewed only as an occasion to reflect on the Court’s past, but also as a call to consider the work still ahead. The lecture, he added, formed part of an ongoing conversation between institutions that have helped shape Ghana’s public conscience.