Chief Justice launches reforms to boost jury system efficiency

Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo has launched reforms to improve Ghana’s jury system. This announcement came as the 2025 criminal assizes officially opened across the country.

At the opening ceremony in Accra, she revealed that the list of eligible jurors has been expanded. The new list includes a wider group of Ghanaians, especially from the private sector.

She noted that previously, jurors were mainly chosen from a small pool. This pool consisted mostly of clerical staff and some education sector officers. As a result, some jurors served in multiple trials over many years.

This practice turned them into “almost professional jurors.” They were not the fresh laypeople needed for legal exposure.

The Judiciary aims to include all citizens qualified by law under these reforms. The Chief Justice emphasized this expansion to include more individuals from various sectors.

She referenced Section 208 of Act 30. This section disqualifies anyone convicted of serious crimes from serving as a juror unless pardoned. She also raised concerns about how yearly revisions of juror lists are conducted under Section 213 of Act 30.

To address these issues, she formed a team to propose solutions and reforms. They consulted with media and stakeholders for broad support.

As part of administrative measures for the new criminal assizes, she directed judges and registrars to prevent overlapping juror listings. “No juror should be listed in more than one court,” she stated.

This measure aims to eliminate any possibility of jurors being involved in multiple cases at once.

Additionally, she called for faster trials during these sessions. Trials should be conducted daily so each case can be resolved quickly before starting another.

The Chief Justice expressed confidence that these changes will improve efficiency and justice delivery. “The time for change has come,” she said at the opening session occurring across all regions in Ghana.