MONROVIA – In less than an hour after Associate Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay was confirmed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia and head of the Judiciary on Thursday, July 17, President. Joseph Nyuma Boakai wasted no time in submitting the name of Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh, Chairman of the Law Reform Commission (LRC) as Associate Justice-designate to replace Chief Justice Gbeisay, pending confirmation by the Senate.
The nomination of Cllr. Kanneh follows the elevation of Associate Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay as Chief Justice and is part of the President’s broader commitment to strengthening the judiciary with men and women of competence, integrity, and dedication to the rule of law.
An Executive Mansion release issued and signed on Thursday, July 17, 2025, by Atty. Kula Bonah Nyei Fofana Presidential Press Secretary says, Cllr. Kanneh brings to the nation’s highest court over two decades of legal experience.
He has previously served as the Head of the Law Reform Commission, where he played a key role in legal reform and access to justice initiatives. A respected Counsellor and long-standing advocate for judicial independence, Cllr. Kanneh is widely recognized for his professionalism and unwavering commitment to justice and constitutional governance.
In making the appointment, President Boakai emphasized the need for a judiciary that is impartial, efficient, and trusted by all Liberians.
President Boakai calls on all appointed officials of government to continue to demonstrate diligence, commitment, integrity, professionalism, and loyalty in service to country.
Who is Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh?
Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh is the current Chairperson of the Law Reform Commission (LRC), Republic of Liberia. Prior to his appointment at the LRC, he served in several positions in Government and the private sector. Cllr. Kanneh served as the Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Commissioner for Naturalization, Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, a Public Defender with the Judiciary; Special Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture and a Field Service Officer with the Special Emergency Life Food Program (SELF).
Cllr. Kanneh is also Assistant Professor of Law, Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia teaching Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Torts and Legislative Drafting. Cllr. Kanneh is also a lecturer at the Gabriel L. Dennis Foreign Service Institute and the IBB Graduate School of International Studies, University of Liberia.
In the private legal sector, Cllr, Kanneh once served as Assistant Counsel, Sherman & Sherman, Inc. and the Verdier and Associate law firm.
Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh holds an LLM(T) Degree from the Maurer School of Law, Indiana University, USA with emphasis in Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Constitutional law. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Law Degrees respectively from Liberia College and the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia.
Further to his educational background, Cllr. Kanneh has been involved in several research works which include:
Sino- Liberia Relationship: An analysis of Liberia’s Foreign Policy Orientation Towards the Chinese community (Bachelor thesis); Liberia: The Impact of Executive Influence on the Judiciary (Master’s thesis); Criminal Law: A Course book in the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law Educational Series intended to domesticate the teaching of law.
Cllr. Kanneh holds membership in the Liberian National Bar Association, the Supreme Court Bar, the African Bar Association and the Center for the promotion of Intellectual Development amongst others.
Cllr Kanneh’s Legacy at Law Reform Commission (LRC)
A major feature of Cllr. Kanneh’s public career has been his advocacy for constitutional reform. As head of the LRC, he led efforts to advance rewriting the 1986 Liberia Constitution to strengthen reconciliation, governance, and peacebuilding in Liberia. He has proposed the introduction of a new constitutional provision, Article 92(b), to facilitate the rewriting process, arguing that Liberia’s current constitution lacks a framework for comprehensive revision. Kanneh has insisted that a referendum, backed by political will, is necessary to legitimize the process.
“The writing of a new constitution will provide a unique opportunity to advance reconciliation, political dialogue, and peace consolidation,” Kanneh said during a recent radio simulcast. He has also criticized the Legislature’s reliance on joint resolutions to determine electoral district thresholds, urging that population-based decisions be informed by national census data, in accordance with Article 80.
Cllr. Kanneh’s leadership of the LRC has been instrumental in reviving momentum around constitutional review—a process that began in 2013 through the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) and has been supported by institutions such as the Governance Commission, UNDP, USAID, and the European Union. The CRC conducted extensive citizen consultations, leading to a number of proposed amendments, including shifting election dates, reducing term limits for elected officials, and redefining citizenship rules to clarify the status of dual nationals.
Many of these proposals remain under legislative consideration, but Cllr. Kanneh has remained an outspoken champion of their passage, describing constitutional reform as central to Liberia’s democratic consolidation.
As recently as June 2025, Cllr. Kanneh and his team at the Law Reform Commission and in collaboration with local and international stakeholders validated Four anti-corruption laws that include:
- An Act to Amend Title 26, Penal Law, Liberian Codes of Law Revised to Provide for Illicit Enrichment and Corruption
- An Act to Amend Title 2: Criminal Procedure Law, Liberian Codes of Law Revised to Redefined the Burden of Proof and Statute of Limitation for Corruption, Acts of Corruption and Illicit Enrichment.
- An Act to Amend the Act Establishing the Anti-Corruption Commission
- An Act to Amend Part V, Part XII and to Provide Additional Definitions of an Act of the Legislature Prescribing a National Code of Conduct for all Public Officials and Employees of the Government.
These laws were previously identified by anti-graft institutions with the assistance of local and international partners as impediments in President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s fight against corruption in government and public places.
Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh’s nomination to the Supreme Court now places him in a critical position to shape how these issues may ultimately be interpreted by the country’s highest judicial body.
The Senate is expected to conduct confirmation hearings in the coming weeks. If confirmed, Cllr. Kanneh will become the latest President Boakai’s appointee to join the reshaped Supreme Court bench, further signaling the President’s intent to leave a lasting institutional imprint on Liberia’s judiciary.
Third Law Reform Commission Executive to go to Supreme Court
Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh is the third executive to be nominated by Liberian leaders as Associate Justices to the Supreme Court of Liberia. It can be recalled former President nominated Cllr. Philip A.Z. Banks and Cllr. Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh Associate Justices respectively, and now President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has nominated Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh as an Associate Justice to the High Court pending Senate confirmation.
