President John Dramani Mahama has nominated three legal practitioners for appointment to the Supreme Court to strengthen the country’s apex court and expand its judicial capacity.

The nominations, made in consultation with the Judicial Council as required under the 1992 Constitution, are expected to undergo parliamentary vetting and approval before the nominees are formally sworn into office.

The three nominees are Court of Appeal Justices Bernasko-Essah and Justice Amoako Asante, as well as renowned legal practitioner and former President of the Ghana Bar Association, Tony Forson.

Justice Amoako Asante brings significant international judicial experience to the nomination, having previously served as President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice before returning to Ghana’s Court of Appeal.

Tony Forson is one of the legal practitioners and previously served as President of the Ghana Bar Association, where he played a key role in advancing legal reforms, promoting the rule of law and defending the independence of the judiciary.

The nominations form part of the constitutional process through which the President appoints Justices of the Supreme Court in consultation with the Judicial Council and with the approval of Parliament.

If Parliament confirms the three nominees after the required vetting process by the Appointments Committee, the strength of the Supreme Court will increase from the current 18 Justices to 21, providing the court with additional capacity to hear constitutional, civil, criminal and electoral matters.

The expansion comes at a time when the Supreme Court continues to handle an increasing number of high-profile constitutional interpretation cases, election-related disputes, governance matters and appeals from lower courts.