Parliament has endorsed the nomination of Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jnr to serve on the Supreme Court.

The House approved the three after considering and adopting the report of the Appointments Committee, which backed their nominations following their vetting.

The process, however, was marked by controversy after the Minority Caucus withdrew from the proceedings in opposition to the timetable for the exercise.

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin questioned the decision to conduct the vetting on an accelerated schedule, arguing that there was no existing vacancy on the Supreme Court that demanded such urgency.

He stressed that the Minority’s position was not a rejection of the nominees or a challenge to President John Dramani Mahama’s constitutional mandate to nominate judges to the apex court.

Instead, he said, their concern centred on the manner and timing of the vetting.

The disagreement escalated when Appointments Committee Chairman Bernard Ahiafor ruled that the process should continue. 

Mr Afenyo-Markin subsequently led the Minority members out of the committee.

Mr Ahiafor rejected the Minority’s concerns, describing the reasons advanced against the vetting schedule as “flimsy”, “hollow” and “baseless”.

With the Minority absent, the Majority proceeded with the vetting, after which the committee recommended all three nominees for approval.

Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah, currently a Justice of the Court of Appeal, has extensive experience on the bench. 

Her nomination is also a return to a process that began in 2024 when she was previously considered for elevation to the Supreme Court but the appointment was not completed before the change in government.

Justice Edward Amoako Asante is also a Court of Appeal Justice and has held prominent positions within the West African judicial system. 

He previously served as President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice before returning to Ghana’s Court of Appeal.

Anthony Forson Jnr, a seasoned private legal practitioner and former President of the Ghana Bar Association, brings several years of experience in legal practice to the proposed Supreme Court bench.

Parliament’s approval moves the three nominees another step closer to joining Ghana’s highest court, subject to the remaining constitutional requirements for their appointments.