By Lincoln G. Peters
The Resident Circuit Judge of the Civil Law Court, Judge Kennedy Peabody has called on stakeholders here for their participation and coordination to enable the court to operate effectively and produce the desired result.
Delivering the charge for the opening of the March Term of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court, “A” and “B,” Judge Peabody urged stakeholders to understand the judicial duties and functions which he said have direct social and economic implications and consequences on the wellbeing and happiness of the citizens and residents.
“It is appropriate to criticize the court or sometimes you express your thanks for proficiency, commitment and dedication by judicial officers, but what are you doing [for the] court to run smoothly to meet the end of justice?” Judge Peabody said.
According to him, the court has been defined as the place for fair and proper administration of law, while the Bar and stakeholders are to coordinate the means or the act of making the means for a group of people to work together in an efficient and organized way.
He further explained that justice coordination is the harmonization and integration of activities and responsibilities to ensure that the resources of each stakeholder or organization involved in the administration of justice are efficiently used in pursuit of justice delivery.
Judge Peabody maintained that the efficient administration of justice is through the court, adding, the objective being the redress of wrongs by compelling punishment to serve as deterrence.
“The interaction among the stakeholders, the Bar and the Court must be easily manageable. Let none of us say the job is for the Judiciary or the problem faced by the court is for the Government,” Judge Peabody cautioned.
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He added that Lawyers have a special responsibility to fight to uphold the rule of law and to ensure that justice prevails in an enabling environment for the court to function and discharge its statutory duties.
He noted that the efficient administration of the court depends on the stakeholders’ unrelenting support, adding the court is a government institution belonging to the residents of the country and Liberia.
“The role of the other stakeholders such as politicians and the public in the court is to ensure that the enabling conditions and environment are created for the efficient administration of Justice,” he continued.
He further admonished that it is the Bar’s duty to coordinate resources by the participation of the stakeholders and to ensure that citizens get the best possible representation in a fair trial.
Judge Peabody stressed that stakeholders’ participation and coordination in the administration of justice are very important.
“Members of the Bar, the Judiciary is your rubber farm, Judiciary is your pepper bush, the Judiciary is your cocoa farm, the Judiciary is your rice farm, therefore, if the road to your farm is not clear and your farm is not fertilized, you will not have access to your farm and your farm will not yield the expected productivity,” he concluded.
In response to the charge, the Liberia National Bar Association ( LNBA) said there are several judgments before the Supreme Court and several that have not been enforced.
The LNBA said it’s a challenge and it’s important that they address those concerns.
