List of justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana

This is a list of the judges of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The Constitution of Ghana provides for the court to be made up of the Chief Justice of Ghana and not less than nine other Justices of the Supreme Court. It shall be duly constituted by at least five Supreme Court judges.

Appointment of judges

Article 144 clause 1 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana stipulates that the Chief Justice of Ghana is to be appointed by the President of Ghana acting in consultation with the Council of State and with the approval of the Parliament of Ghana. Article 144 clause 2 states that Justices of the Supreme court are appointed on the advice of the Judicial Council in consultation with the Council of State and with the approval of Parliament. Where the position of Chief Justice is vacant or where the holder of the position is unable to perform their duties for a period, the most senior member of the Supreme Court shall act as Chief Justice as in clause 6 of Article 144. In May 2020, President Akufo-Addo appointed four additional judges to the Supreme Court.

Retirement or removal from office

According to Article 145 clause 4 of the constitution, a Supreme Court Judge is expected to vacate their office on reaching the age of seventy years. They can carry on up to an additional six months to ensure that they are able to complete any proceedings they may have been involved in at that stage. The judges are guaranteed job security. Article 146 states the conditions for their removal as "except for stated misbehaviour or incompetence or on ground of inability to perform the functions of his office arising from infirmity of body or mind." The procedure for this has also been clearly stated in the constitution.

List of judges of the Supreme Court

# Served from Name Previous judicial office Appointed by Served until Replacing Notes
1 1960 Kobina Arku Korsah Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court Kwame Nkrumah December 1963 Inaugural Chief Justice of Ghana 1957–1963
Dismissed by Kwame Nkrumah
2 1960 William Van Lare Appeal Court Judge 1957 December 1963 Inaugural Retired when Supreme Court acquitted Tawia Adamafio and others on treason charges
3 1960 Gilbert Granville Sharp Appeal Court Judge 1961 Inaugural
4 1960 Julius Sarkodee-Addo High Court Judge February 1966 Inaugural Chief Justice 1964–1966
Removed after coup d'état
5 July 1960 Augustus Molade Akiwumi Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana (1958–1960) 1961 Inaugural Speaker of Parliament of Ghana
6 15 September 1961 Samuel Azu Crabbe High Court Judge 1959
 1966 Supreme Court was replaced by the Appeals Court in 1966
6 1971 Appeal Court Judge Kofi Busia 1972 Supreme Court replaced by the Appeals Court in 1972
Chief Justice 1973–1977
7 15 September 1961 Kofi Adumua Bossman High Court Judge 2 July 1956 – 1962 Kwame Nkrumah 2 March 1964 Dismissed 2 March 1964 by Nkrumah
Member of Constitutional Commission
1966–1967
8 1 September 1962 George Commey Mills-Odoi High Court Judge Jan 1960
Attorney General 1961–1962		 February 1966 Acting Chief Justice (1965)
9 1 September 1962 Nii Amaa Ollennu High Court Judge 1966 Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana 1969–1972
10 1 September 1962 Robert Samuel Blay Private legal practitioner 2 March 1964 Dismissed 2 March 1964 by Nkrumah
11 1 September 1962 Edward Akufo-Addo Private legal practitioner Kwame Nkrumah March 1964 Dismissed 2 March 1964 by Nkrumah.
Reinstated by the NLC as an Appeals Court judge.
Chief Justice (1966–1970)
12 2 March 1964 Charles Acolatse High Court Judge 1965
13 2 March 1964 Alfred Akainyah High Court Judge 7 June 1966 William Van Lare
14 2 March 1964 Fred Apaloo High Court Judge 1966 Edward Akufo-Addo Supreme Court replaced by Appeals Court
14 1971 Appeal Court Judge Kofi Busia 1972 Supreme Court replaced by Appeals Court
14 1980 Appeal Court Judge Hilla Limann 1986 Chief Justice of Ghana 1977–1986
Chief Justice of Kenya 1993–1995
15 26 June 1964 William Bruce-Lyle High Court Judge Kwame Nkrumah 7 June 1966 Supreme Court Judge in Zambia 1976–1980.
16 26 June 1964 Johnson Boateng Siriboe High Court Judge 1966 Supreme Court was replaced by the Appeals Court in 1966 by the National Liberation Council
16 August 1970 Appeal Court Judge Kofi Busia 1972 Dismissed by NRC Military government.
17 1965 G. S. Lassey High Court Judge Kwame Nkrumah 1966 Charles Acolatse Supreme Court replaced by the Appeals Court by the then NLC government.
18 August 1970 E. A. L. Bannerman Legal adviser to Ghana Police and Ghana Airways (1967–70) Kofi Busia 20 September 1972 Chief Justice 1970–1972
Sacked by NRC Military government.
19 August 1970 V. C. R. A. C. Crabbe Interim Electoral Commissioner 1972
19 24 October 1980 Appeal Court Judge 1981
20 August 1970 Koi Larbi Member of the Council of State 1972 Sacked by NRC Military government.
21 1971 Kwamena Bentsi-Enchill Dean of the Faculty of law, University of Zambia 30 September 1972
22 1971 H. K. Prempeh High Court Judge (1960–1964)
Private legal practitioner		 1972
23 1971 P. D. Anin Appeal Court Judge (1969–1970) 1972 Supreme Court replaced by Appeals Court
23 24 October 1980 Appeal Court Judge (1972–1980) Hilla Limann July 1982 Retired voluntarily in July 1982
Later became a justice of the Appeal Court of the Gambia
24 24 October 1980 N. Y. B. Adade Attorney General 1969–1971 20 February 1996 Acting Chief Justice (1990 to 1991)
25 24 October 1980 Philip Archer Appeal Court judge 1983 Retired in 1983
25 1991 Appointed Chairman of the Law Reform Commission following his retirement as a Supreme Court judge, was called out of retirement in 1991 to serve as Chief Justice of Ghana Jerry Rawlings 21 February 1995 Chief of Justice 1991–1995
26 24 October 1980 E. N. P. Sowah Appeal Court Judge Hilla Limann 1990 Chief Justice of Ghana 1986–1990
27 24 October 1980 J. N. K. Taylor High Court Judge 24 March 1990
28 September 1985 G. R. M. Francois Appeal Court Judge Jerry Rawlings 5 August 1994
29 1988 Isaac Wuaku Appeal Court Judge 29 December 1992
30 1988 Kweku Etrew Amua-Sekyi Appeal Court Judge 5 July 1996
31 1988 Isaac K. Abban Appeal Court Judge 21 April 2001 Chief Justice of Seychelles 1990–1993
Chief Justice of Ghana. Died in office.
32 1989 Patrick Victor Osei-Hwere Appeal Court Judge 19 October 1992
33 20 February 1990 G. E. K. Aikins Attorney General of Ghana 2 September 1998
34 1990 Edward Wiredu Appeals Court Judge 2003 Chief Justice of Ghana 2001–2003
35 19 November 1991 Joyce Bamford-Addo Director of Public Prosecutions
2nd Deputy Speaker of the Consultative Assembly		 October 2004 First female justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and first female Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana
36 19 November 1991 Charles Hayfron-Benjamin Private legal practice 4 April 1999
37 6 January 1993 Francis Kpegah Appeal Court Judge 4 December 2008 Acting Chief Justice (25 March 2007 to15 June 2007)
38 6 January 1993 A. K. B. Ampiah Appeal Court Judge 25 July 2003
39 22 February 1995 E. D. K. Adjabeng Appeal Court Judge October 2002 Resigned in October 2002 on personal grounds
40 30 November 1995 George Kingsley Acquah Appeals Court Judge 25 March 2007 Chief Justice of Ghana. Died in office.
41 30 November 1995 Sophia Akuffo Private legal practitioner 20 December 2019 Chief Justice (2017–2019)
42 30 November 1995 Isaac K. Amuah Appeal Court Judge 19 August 1997 Died in office
43 30 November 1995 William Atuguba State attorney 1 July 2018 Acting Chief Justice (21 February 2017 to 19 June 2017)

23 years in Supreme Court

44 15 April 1999 John Debra Sapong Appeal Court Judge 2 June 2000
45 15 April 1999 Josiah Ofori Boateng Appeal Court Judge 4 January 2001
46 28 November 2000 Theodore Adzoe Private legal practitioner 31 October 2008
47 28 November 2000 George Lamptey Appeal Court Judge 3 June 2002
48 19 March 2002 Kwame Afreh Appeal Court Judge John Kufuor September 2003
49 12 November 2002 Georgina Wood Appeal Court Judge 1991–2002 7 June 2017 Chief Justice 2007–2017
50 12 November 2002 Samuel Glenn Baddoo Appeal Court Judge 3 March 2004
51 12 November 2002 Stephen Alan Brobbey Appeal Court Judge 23 May 2012
52 12 November 2002 Seth Twum Private legal practitioner 20 March 2007
53 21 May 2003 Anselmus Kludze Professor of Law at the University of Ghana 12 March 2004
54 16 September 2003 Samuel Date-Bah Special Adviser (Legal) at the Commonwealth Secretariat, London August 2014
55 14 May 2004 Tawia Modibo Ocran Professor of Law at the University of Ghana 27 October 2008 Died in office
56 15 October 2004 Richard Aninakwah Appeal Court Judge 28 January 2008
57 15 October 2004 Julius Ansah Appeal Court Judge 2020 Acting Chief Justice (20 December 2019 to 7 January 2020)
58 15 October 2004 Felix Lartey Chief Justice of the Gambia April 2005
59 15 March 2006 Sophia Adinyira Appeal Court Judge 30 July 2019 Judge on United Nations Appeals Tribunal 2009–2016
60 15 March 2006 Samuel Kwadwo Asiamah Appeal Court Judge 2009
61 11 June 2008 Anin Yeboah Justice of the Court of Appeal (2003–2008) 24 May 2023 Chief Justice (7 January 2020 to 24 May 2023)
62 11 June 2008 Jones Dotse Appeal Court Judge
Supreme Court Judge in the Gambia 		8 June 2023 Acting Chief Justice (24 May 2023 to 8 June 2023)
63 11 June 2008 Paul Baffoe-Bonnie Appeal Court Judge Incumbent
64 11 June 2008 Rose Constance Owusu Appeal Court Judge June 2014
65 31 October 2009 Vida Akoto-Bamfo Appeal Court Judge John Atta Mills 14 February 2019 Tawia Modibo Ocran
66 31 October 2009 Benjamin Aryeetey Appeal Court Judge 2011 Theodore Adzoe
67 31 October 2009 Nasiru Gbadegbe Appeal Court Judge 8 December 2020 Francis Kpegah
68 11 November 2012 Joseph Akamba Appeal Court Judge John Mahama 2016
69 11 November 2012 Anthony Benin Appeal Court Judge January 2020
70 29 June 2015 Yaw Appau Appeal Court Judge August 2021
71 29 June 2015 Gabriel Pwamang Private legal practitioner Incumbent
72 3 October 2018 Nene Amegatcher Private legal practitioner Nana Akufo-Addo 28 July 2023 President of the Ghana Bar Association (2012–2016)
73 3 October 2018 Agnes Dordzie Appeal Court Judge 2 October 2022
74 3 October 2018 Nii Ashie Kotey Professor of Law at the University of Ghana 28 July 2023
75 3 October 2018 Samuel Marful-Sau Appeal Court Judge 10 August 2021 Died in office
76 17 December 2019 Mariama Owusu Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Sophia Akuffo President of Ghana chapter, International Association of Women Judges, 2014
77 17 December 2019 Avril Lovelace-Johnson Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Sophia Adinyira
78 17 December 2019 Gertrude Tokornoo Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Vida Akoto-Bamfo Vice-chair, e-Justice Committee
Judicial Training Institute Board member

Chief Justice (Appointed on 12 June 2023)

79 22 May 2020 Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Julius Ansah
80 22 May 2020 Clemence Jackson Honyenuga Appeal Court Judge 4 September 2022 Anthony Benin Although officially retired on 4 September 2022, he was granted some time by the Chief Justice (Anin Yeboah) to conclude a pending case. He was removed from the case in February 2023.
81 26 May 2020 Joy Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu Professor of Law at the University of Ghana Incumbent
82 26 May 2020 Yonny Kulendi Private legal practitioner Incumbent Nasiru Sulemana Gbadegbe
83 28 December 2022 Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Samuel Marful-Sau
84 28 December 2022 Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Yaw Appau
85 5 April 2023 George Kingsley Koomson Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Agnes Dordzie
86 5 April 2023 Ernest Gaewu High Court Judge Incumbent Clemence Jackson Honyenuga
87 3 January 2024 Henry Anthony Kwofie Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Nene Amegatcher
88 3 January 2024 Yaw Darko Asare Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Kwasi Anin-Yeboah
89 3 January 2024 Richard Adjei-Frimpong Appeal Court Judge Incumbent Jones Dotse

See also