Supreme Court judge nominee Justice Suurbaareh has rejected proposals to set a limit on the number of justices at Ghana’s highest court, warning that such a restriction could undermine its effectiveness.
He shared this view during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, June 16, 2025.
Justice Suurbaareh argued that maintaining flexibility in appointments is crucial for handling the Court’s increasing workload.
“I do not think that the Supreme Court should be capped, If you look at the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the workload it carries, capping it would not be helpful.” He said.
He emphasized that the appointing authority should retain the discretion to appoint as many judges as needed to ensure smooth and timely justice.
“The open-ended structure gives the appointing authority the power to appoint as many Supreme Court judges as are needed at any point in time,” he added.
However, he acknowledged that this discretion must be exercised wisely.
“I believe the appointing authority will use that power reasonably and not arbitrarily appoint 20, 30, or 100 judges to the Court,” he added.
His remarks come amid public debate over the size of the Supreme Court and calls for broader judicial reforms, including efforts to balance executive influence over judicial appointments.
Ebenezer De-Gaulle.
