Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh To Become Liberia’s 3rd Female Chief Justice If Confirmed By The Senate

By Garmah Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com

If confirmed by the Senate, Liberia will soon have its third female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, with the nomination of current Associate Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh.

With just weeks to the retirement of Chief Justice Francis S. Korkpor’s retirement, President George Weah has appointed Associate Justice Yuoh as Chief Justice designate of the Republic of Liberia.

The President’s communication is currently before the Liberian Senate, as the Chief Justice designate is subject to confirmation by this body, though the Executive Mansion website is yet to publish the information.

Currently, she is one of two female Justices on the Supreme Court bench.

If confirmed by the Senate, Justice Yuoh will become the second woman to head Liberia’s Supreme Court, after former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and Francis Johnson-Allison.

Her Honor Justice Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh was born in Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia. She obtained her high school education and diploma from the St. Teresa’s Convent, a Catholic High School in Monrovia in 1974, thereafter which, she enrolled at the Cuttington University College (CUC), now Cuttington University (CU), in Suakoko, Bong County, in pursuit of her tertiary education where she graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Political Science.

In 1979, Justice Yuoh enrolled at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia, where she was trained as a lawyer. In 1981, she successfully completed her law studies at this institution and obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and was subsequently admitted into the Liberia National Bar Association as an Attorney-At-Law. Her Honor was also admitted as Counsellor-At-Law of the Supreme Court Bar in 1988.

PUBLIC & PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Associate Justice Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh began her public and professional service within the Executive Branch, Republic of Liberia, first at the Ministry of Justice as an Assistant Minister for Legal Affairs from 1983 – 1985, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Coordinator, African Affairs, 1988 – 1990, the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) as Corporate Secretary/Assistant Legal Counsel/Secretary, Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) from 2000 – 2003 and lastly at the Law Reform Commission, where she served as Acting Executive Director and Commissioner respectively from July 2011 – April 2013.

Justice Yuoh also extended her professional legal services within the private sector where she served as Associate and Legal Counsel at the David A.B. Jallah Law Firm, on Johnson Street, Monrovia Liberia, from 1994 – 2000.

In 2013, Madam Justice Yuoh, was nominated, appointed and subsequently commissioned as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia.

PROFESSIONAL & SOCIAL AFFILIATION

Madam Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh has proudly served as Vice President of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) from 1994 – 1998; was a founding member of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) and served as its 1^st Vice President from 1997 – 1998; Chairperson of the Judiciary Committee of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) from 2012 – 2013 and also served as President of the Maryland County Local Bar Association in 2013.

Her Honor, Justice Yuoh is married, and she and her husband, are blessed with ten (10) children and two (2) grandchildren.