Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has said that she has had to be strict in her roles to effectively manage her office.
She says it comes with the challenging nature of the job, for being a judge requires firmness in decision-making.
In an exclusive, soon to be aired interview with JoyNews, Chief Justice Torkornoo explains; “I am strict. I think that you can hardly be a judge without being strict because on a daily basis, a judge is handling something like 20 cases minimum.”
She said judges must deal with assertive lawyers on both sides—some prepared, some unprepared, some with strange motives, and others who are rarely there to do their work and navigate all these different personalities and postures.
“If you don’t come to the bench with rules, you can hardly get your work done. Being a judge on the bench is about being strict. Strict with managing time, process, the different submissions, and managing the courtroom,” she said.
Commenting on her practice directions and administrative guidelines, in seeking to fast-track the wheels of justice within the short period since she has been the head of the judiciary, Chief Justice Torkornoo said that her entire career has been dedicated to practising law.
She noted that she has served as an external lawyer for various institutions and has been actively engaged in legal practice. This experience, she stressed, has given her firsthand knowledge of the frustrations of attending court without achieving results.
“I have known the pain of inefficient court staff, I have known the pain of processes that leave either a lawyer or party confused.
“……Therefore, in becoming Chief Justice, all that was left was for me to implement those things that were already in the pipeline,” she added.