Private citizen drags Chief Justice, Attorney General to Supreme Court over legal vacation

Elorm Kwami Gorni, a private citizen, sued Attorney General Dominic Ayine and Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie at the Supreme Court on July 28, 2026, over Ghana's legal vacation arrangements. Mr Gorni is challenging the constitutionality of the annual suspension of sittings at the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal from August 1 to September 30. He argues that the two-month suspension undermines citizens' constitutional right to access justice within a reasonable time.

Mr Gorni states that High Courts continue to sit during the legal vacation through designated vacation courts, but the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal do not sit throughout the period. He contends this leaves litigants with pending matters before the two appellate courts waiting until the vacation ends, potentially delaying appeals, constitutional cases, applications for stay of execution, interlocutory applications, and judicial review proceedings. Mr Gorni is asking the Supreme Court to declare Rule 61(b) of the Court of Appeal Rules, 1997 (C.I. 19), and Rule 82 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 (C.I. 16), unconstitutional to the extent that they permit the suspension of sittings during the legal vacation. He stresses that his challenge is not against judges taking annual leave or having periods of rest.