Judges’ Political Leanings Mustn’t Influence Verdict – Short

A former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Justice Emile Short, has cautioned judges to put aside their political leanings while arriving at decisions.

His comments come on the back of renowned lawyer Raymond Atuguba’s pronouncements urging the nation to ensure political balance when it comes to the appointment of Judges especially at the Supreme Court.

Atuguba said judges at the Supreme Court decide political cases according to their political leanings. According to him, it is pretentious for people to assume that judges do not have political ideologies that may influence them at crucial moments.




“In the Supreme Court, you have to make a balance according to the three political traditions – UP, CPP, NDC – because no matter how much we pretend, in difficult cases with a political twist, a judge cannot, but go deep into the intersis of his heart to seek guidance and once he or she arrives there, you find that you are going towards your political leaning,” the former executive secretary to former President John Mahama told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr, Tuesday.

However, Justice Short believes such a move will be detrimental to the country’s Judiciary.

“A judge should not allow his or her decision to be influenced by his or her political opinion. Judges should be independent and should decide cases on the basis of the case before them… we should allow cases to be decided in an objective manner,” Justice Short advised on Starr Today.

Source:Starrfmonline