Ghanaian Citizen Sues AG and Chief Justice Over 2-Month Court Vacation

• Elorm Kwami Gorni filed a Supreme Court suit on July 28, 2026 targeting the annual August–September suspension of appellate court sittings
• The lawsuit seeks to invalidate rules under the Court of Appeal Rules 1997 and Supreme Court Rules 1996 that govern the two-month legal vacation
• Gorni argues appellate courts should adopt rotational sittings or staggered leave to protect litigants' constitutional right to a fair hearing

A Ghanaian citizen has taken the country's top legal officers to court over the practice of shutting down appellate courts for two full months every year.

Elorm Kwami Gorni filed the action at the Supreme Court on 28 July 2026, naming Attorney-General Dominic Ayine and Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as respondents.

According to a report by Citinewsroom, the suit challenges the annual suspension of sittings at both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court between 1 August and 30 September.

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Legal vacation in Ghana under scrutiny

At the centre of Gorni's case is a distinction he draws between the High Courts and the appellate courts.

While High Courts maintain vacation benches capable of handling urgent matters during the annual recess, the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court cease operations entirely.

He argues this complete standstill inflicts severe delays on litigants and violates their constitutional right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time.

The suit targets two specific provisions: 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).

Gorni contends that court scheduling is fundamentally an administrative function and should therefore be governed by Article 23 of the Constitution, which obliges public authorities to act fairly and reasonably.

Gorni proposes alternative arrangements

Gorni has been careful to frame the action not as an attack on judges' entitlement to annual rest.

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He stated explicitly that his case does not oppose that right, but argues instead that the current blanket shutdown is an unnecessary and unconstitutional solution to a legitimate need.

The plaintiff is asking the apex court to direct that alternative arrangements be put in place, including rotational sittings or staggered leave schedules, so that appellate courts can continue to hear matters throughout the calendar year without interruption.

The case raises fundamental questions about access to justice for Ghanaians whose appeals sit idle for two months annually at the country's highest levels of judicial authority.

GBA backs petitions to Chief Justice

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Ghana Bar Association had petitioned Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie over judges directing lawyers to appear in court during the statutory legal vacation.

Three law firms, including one representing former National Signals Bureau head Kwabena Adu-Boahen, had raised grievances after being called to appear in criminal trials.

The GBA had warned that compelling lawyers to attend Vacation Courts undermined the annual recess and violated long-standing judicial tradition.

Source: YEN.com.gh