Election Petition: How the judges will reach their final judgment

The Supreme Court resumes hearing of the election petition case on July 31, 2013.

They are likely to deliver judgment on the matter within a month after hearing the addresses of both petitioners and respondents on the date of resumption of the hearing.

But how will the nine Justices of the Bench reach a final verdict?

Offering some education in that regard on Joy FM’s newsfile programme on Saturday July 27, 2013, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Nii Ayikoi Otoo said the nine Justices will all go into what is known as a “conference before judgment”.

“They all will go and sit down and look at the issues, and then they vote along lines.… At the end of the day, there [will be] a certain consensus that this will be [the] final judgment of the Court”.

The former AG says each of the nine Justices will express their views and opinions on specific issues concerning the case before the consensus is reached.

According to him, each Judge would have written down their views and opinions about the case before the conference.

On the day of judgment, the President of the Bench will announce the final judgment reached by the nine Justices and indicate the majority and dissenting voices on whatever split decision may have been arrived at.

Both the dissenters and the majority will explain their reasons for their decisions.