Ghana’s Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo has redesignated the country’s specialized courts that handle marital issues in new reforms within the country’s judiciary.
The Divorce & Matrimonial Courts will be renamed Family Courts in May, a circular from the Judicial Secretary to all judges and staff said last Wednesday.
“The rationalization behind the change is to reflect the true scope of work and jurisdiction of the courts since matters beyond matrimonial causes such as adoption and maintenance of children are dealt with by this specialised division,” the document explained.
By this redesignation, Ghana joins a host of common law countries such as the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong, among others that have designated these specialized courts as Family Courts, wrote one lawyer on LinkedIn.
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Since taking office last year, Justice Torkornoo seems to be driven toward changing certain public perceptions about the courts and the justice system, especially those that concern corruption and delays in settling cases. And so last month, she introduced a court shift system that allows some courts to sit in the evenings, to clear backlog cases.