Chief Justice of Liberia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chief Justice of Liberia
Coat of arms of Liberia
Incumbent Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh since 27 September 2022
Supreme Court of Liberia
Seat	Monrovia
Appointer	Presidential nomination with Senate confirmation
Term length	70 years of age
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Liberia 26 July 1847
Inaugural holder	Samuel Benedict
Formation	1847

The Chief Justice of Liberia is like the main judge for the country of Liberia. They lead the Supreme Court of Liberia, which is the highest court in Liberia. This person is in charge of the entire court system in Liberia.

Becoming Chief Justice: How It Works

Who Can Be Chief Justice?

To become the Chief Justice, a person must meet certain rules from Liberia's Constitution.

• They must be a citizen of Liberia.
• They need to have a good reputation.
• They must have worked as a lawyer for the Supreme Court for at least five years.

How the Chief Justice Is Chosen

The President of Liberia chooses the Chief Justice. Then, the Senate must agree with the President's choice. This process ensures that the person chosen is qualified and supported.

How Long Do They Serve?

A Chief Justice usually keeps their job as long as they do it well. However, they must retire when they turn 70 years old. If they are working on a case when they turn 70, they can finish that case.

What Does the Chief Justice Do?

The Chief Justice has many important jobs.

• They are the main judge on the Supreme Court.
• They also manage all the other courts in Liberia.
• If the President or Vice President is accused of serious wrongdoing, the Chief Justice leads the trial in the Senate.
• The Chief Justice also has the important job of swearing in the President. This happens in front of both parts of the Liberian Legislature.

Removing a Chief Justice from Office

A Chief Justice can be removed from their job, but it is very rare. This can only happen if they are accused of serious misconduct by the House of Representatives. Then, the Senate must agree that they are guilty.

Reasons for removal include:

• Not doing their job properly.
• Being unable to perform their duties.
• Being found guilty in court of very serious crimes.

If the Chief Justice is on trial in the Senate, the President of the Senate leads the process. So far, only one Chief Justice, Chea Cheapoo, has been removed this way.

List of Chief Justices of Liberia

This table shows the people who have served as Chief Justice of Liberia since the country was founded.

Status

     This shows someone who served as Chief Justice during a special temporary government, not under the usual Constitution.

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Tenure	Nominated by President
1		Samuel Benedict (1792–1854)	1847–1854	Joseph Jenkins Roberts
2		John Day (1797–1859)	1854 – 15 February 1859
3		Boston Jenkins Drayton (1821–1865)	1861–1864	Stephen Allen Benson
4		Edward James Roye (1815–1872)	1865–1868	Daniel Bashiel Warner
5		C. L. Parsons	1869–1894	James Spriggs Payne
6		Zacharia B. Roberts	1895–1910	Joseph James Cheeseman
7		James A. Toliver	1911–1913	Arthur Barclay
8		J. J. Dossen (1866–1924)	1913–1924	Daniel Edward Howard
9		F. E. R. Johnson	1924–1933	Charles D. B. King
10		Louis Arthur Grimes (1883–1948)	1933–1948	Edwin Barclay
11		H. Nimine Russell	1949–1956	William Tubman
12		A. Dash Wilson (1898–?)	13 March 1958 – 1970
13		James A. A. Pierre (1908–1980)	1971 – 12 April 1980
—		Emmanuel Gbalazeh (1934–2009)	April 1980 – 15 January 1986	People's Redemption Council
14		James N. Nagbe	16 January 1986 – 18 June 1987	Samuel Doe
15		Chea Cheapoo (1942–2020)	July 1987 – 2 December 1987
16		Emmanuel Gbalazeh (1934–2009)	28 January 1988 – September 1990
—		James G. Bull	1992–1996	Amos Sawyer
—		Frances Johnson-Morris	1996–1997	Ruth Perry
17		Gloria Musu-Scott	1997–2003	Charles Taylor
—		Henry Reed Cooper (1940–2023)	2003–2006	National Transitional Government
18		Johnnie Lewis (1946–2015)	3 March 2006 – 18 September 2012	Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
19		Francis Korkpor (born 1952)	18 April 2013 – 27 September 2022
20		Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh	27 September 2022 – present	George Weah