Last week the Ghana Bar Association issued a press statement addressing concerns arising from the recent circular issued by the Judicial Secretary on garnishee proceedings against the state. The circular had intimated that “in order to ensure consistency, compliance with law, and proper administrative oversight, all executions against the state agencies shall be referred to the judicial secretary for appropriate directions prior to execution”.
In its statement/response, the GBA speaking through its Secretary, Kwaku Gyan Baffour reaffirmed the relevant provisions of the State Proceedings Act and the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules of 2004, C.I. 47, which set out the established rules governing executions against the state. The GBA emphasised that these provisions leaves nothing in doubt as to the applicable procedure.
The statement from the GBA in response to the above-mentioned circular did not come as a surprise to many within the legal community. Several practitioners expressed disapproval about the circular arguing that it would occasion unnecessary confusion in the execution processes both at the Bar and on the Bench.
In our view, the provisions on executions under the State Proceedings Act and the C. I. 47 are sufficiently elaborate and clear. Even if it were to be accepted that the current rules have occasioned some challenges or unintended consequences in the enforcement relative of judgments against state institutions, any reform ought to be undertaken through the Rules of Court Committee and ultimately by Parliament, rather than through administrative directives. .
In that regard we share the position expressed by the GBA that the circular must be withdrawn.
Meanwhile, the death is reported of Her Ladyship Justice Ellen Vivian Amoah, a Justice of the High Court, who passed away on 26th February 2026.
Justice Ellen Vivian Amoah was appointed to the High Court bench in 2016; after being called to the Bar in 1999.
For a judge who was meticulous and upright and diligent, her untimely passing is a big blow to the Judicial Service and the judiciary.
Our profound condolences to her family and the Judicial Service. May God grant her a peaceful rest.
Judge Approves $345 Million Verdict Against Greenpeace in Pipeline Suit
A North Dakota judge finalized a potentially fatal verdict against Greenpeace affirming a $345 million jury award against the storied environmental group.
The verdict was reached last year after a bruising trial brought by the pipeline company Energy Transfer over Greenpeace’s role in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, an 1,172-mile pipeline that carries oil from North Dakota to Illinois.
Energy Transfer claimed Greenpeace had played a major role in the protests a decade ago, forcing construction delays and costing the company money. Greenpeace has said that the lawsuit, which was argued last year in state court in Mandan, N.D., was baseless and designed to silence it, and that the verdict undermined free-speech rights in the United States.
Justice Department Makes Abrupt Reversal on Law Firm Sanctions
The Justice Department told a court Tuesday that it plans to press forward with the defense of President Trump’s executive orders sanctioning law firms, a remarkable reversal coming less than 24 hours after it asked to drop the cases.
The department said in a court filing that the federal appeals court in Washington hadn’t yet ruled on its request the previous day to dismiss the cases—and that it was the administration’s prerogative to pursue the appeals after all.
On Monday evening, the department had said it was dropping its appeal of four trial-court rulings that struck down Trump’s sanctions against law firms Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, Perkins Coie and Susman Godfrey.
The decision came just days before the Justice Department’s written legal arguments were due to be submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
All four law firms opposed the Justice Department’s bid to renege on dropping the appeal, calling the move an “unexplained request to withdraw yesterday’s voluntary dismissal, to which all parties had agreed,” according to the court filing.
Dad Found Guilty in Son’s Suspected School Shooting
A jury on Tuesday found the father of the teenage boy charged with killing four people at a Georgia high school guilty of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
Colin Gray, the father of the suspect, who was 14 years old at the time of the 2024 shooting, was accused of letting the teenager possess a weapon despite knowing he was a danger to himself and others. The Barrow County jury convicted Gray of all 29 counts following a two-week trial. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Gray is one of an increasing number of parents being charged in connection with shootings that their children are accused of carrying out.
Colt Gray, the son, has been accused of committing a mass shooting in September 2024 at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., killing two students and two teachers, and injuring nine others.
The younger Gray faces four counts of felony murder, among dozens of other charges. His trial has yet to take place.
