Council of State member and former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, has pushed back against growing proposals to restrict how many justices can serve on the Supreme Court.
She explained that the country’s highest court is already handling a significant number of cases, and any artificial limitation on the bench could weaken its efficiency. Ghana’s legal system allows citizens to pursue appeals up the chain without limitations on case type, value, or subject matter — a situation that continually increases the Supreme Court’s workload.
Akuffo pointed out that other countries with fixed numbers of justices only maintain such caps because their Supreme Courts receive a narrower scope of appeals. In those systems, the matters that qualify to reach the apex court are strictly defined, easing the pressure on the judges.
Her remarks, made during a discussion on Channel One TV on November 6, 2025, emphasized that reforms should focus on the realities of Ghana’s judicial responsibilities. She maintained that reducing the number of justices without adjusting the court’s extensive jurisdiction would create more problems than it solves.
Watch the video below:
