Following the recent position statement of the Liberian National Bar Association on the ruling of the Supreme Court in the “Amended Bill of Information” filed by embattled House Speaker, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa against the Majority Bloc, the Chief Justice, Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh, Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia and other Prominent lawyers of the Bar have all boycotted the 2025 Law Day celebration.
The annual Law Day held every May 1, 2025, was celebrated by the LNBA on May 2, 2025, at the Ellen Johnson Ministerial Complex with very few lawyers accompanied by Law-Students and High School Students to give the Law Day celebration a happy ending.
The Liberian National Bar Association through its National President, Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah, in a bold and unprecedented move, issued a comprehensive critique of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Amended Bill of Information filed by House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, branding aspects of the decision as judicial overreach and a violation of the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers.
The LNBA through its National President, Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah, on April 28, 2025, expressed “respectful disagreement” with the Supreme Court’s April 23 opinion, which reaffirmed Speaker Koffa’s legitimacy and invalidated any legislative sittings held in his absence.
“While the LNBA notes the Court’s opinion as a testament to its constitutional role, we are constrained to express our disagreement with the Court’s interpretation and its practical implications on the doctrine of separation of powers.” Cllr. Varmah stated,
Central to the LNBA’s position is the contention that the Supreme Court’s ruling, issued in response to Speaker Koffa’s Bill of Information, amounted to a substantive new judgment, rather than a clarification of a prior decision.
The Bar Association referenced Rule IV, Part 12 of the Revised Rules of the Supreme Court, which outlines the legitimate scope of a Bill of Information: to address attempts by judicial officers or any other parties to improperly execute or interfere with the Court’s mandate.
“A Bill of Information is not, and should not become, a substitute mechanism for settling inherently political questions—particularly those relating to the internal organization, leadership, or operational independence of the Legislature.” the LNBA emphasized
The Bar believes the Court overstepped its bounds by effectively issuing a new opinion in a constitutional matter it had already ruled on in December 2024, in which the Court had directed lawmakers to act in accordance with Articles 33 and 49 of the Constitution without detailing specific enforcement mechanisms.
The LNBA’s statement warns that continued judicial intervention in legislative disputes could dangerously erode the separation of powers. It questions the Court’s decision to rule that Speaker Koffa’s removal was unconstitutional without a two-thirds resolution by the House, as required by Article 49 of the Constitution.
“We shall not idly observe judicial overreach in matters reserved by the Constitution exclusively for the Legislature, This is simply a violation of the Political Question Doctrine said Cllr. Varmah.
In a rebuttal to the Liberian National Bar Association’s stance on the Supreme Court ruling, the Montserrado County Bar Association distanced itself from the National Bar position statement.
The County Bar asserted that the National Bar leadership did not consult before issuing such a statement.
