Monrovia, Liberia – The absence of the Supreme Court of Liberia from the May 3 International Law Day program of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) has raised concerns among the country’s legal community and revealed what now seems to be a growing institutional divide between the top court and its leading professional legal organization.
Legal experts generally assume that the boycott was a direct reaction to LNBA President Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah’s criticism of a recent Supreme Court decision, even though the Court provided no formal justification for it.
President Varmah’s appeal to the Court’s involvement in a parliamentary leadership struggle, namely the reinstatement of Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, has generated debate over the limits of judicial authority.
President Varmah said in a press release issued on April 29 that the Court had overreached itself, claiming that the decision infringed upon the Legislature’s independence and broke the principle of separation of powers. The LNBA statement warned that such decisions might result in judicial overreach and disrupt the balance between Liberia’s three arms of government, saying, “This is simply a violation of the Political Question Doctrine.”
During the Law Day celebration, the tension that had been building subtly for days suddenly came to the surface. Varmah’s speech, which had as its topic “Justice, Accountability, and Inclusion: Building a Stronger Liberia Under the Rule of Law,” focused on legal transparency, institutional reform, and restoring public confidence in the legal system.
“Elections are only one aspect of democracy. Strong institutions, openness, and, most importantly, justice are its foundations,” he remarked.
However, the main speaker, former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott, provided a very different tone. She criticized the LNBA for its latest stance without specifically mentioning Varmah. She said, the Bar should not be seen as undermining the Supreme Court’s authority and noting that the Bar President’s comment was both unprofessional and extremely concerning.
The former Chief Justice cautioned, “You cannot dress the devil in private and undress him in public,” in a metaphor full of significance. Her comments were generally seen as a condemnation of what she sees as the Bar’s public humiliation of the Court and a defense of judicial dignity.
However, the dispute has not only caused a rift between the bench and the Bar, but it has also caused the Bar to become shattered. LNBA Vice President Cllr. F. Juah Lawson publicly distanced herself from the April 29 statement shortly after it was made public, casting doubt on its methodology and substance.
In addition to worries about political alignment and neutrality, growing internal dissension points to a developing leadership crisis within the LNBA. Questions concerning the association’s independence and unity have been raised in what was supposed to be a constitutional criticism.
