Award-winning Ghanaian journalist Erastus Asare Donkor has voiced concerns about what he sees as the growing politicization of Ghanaian court rulings, cautioning that the tendency jeopardizes public trust in the nation's legal system.
The investigative journalist bemoaned in a Facebook post that court rulings are no longer evaluated primarily on their legal basis.
He said, the nation's severe political divisions have produced a climate in which the legitimacy of a ruling is frequently questioned based on elements like the judge who rendered it, the judge's appointment, and the political party in power.
The influence of this expanding trend on legal education was also questioned by Erastus Asare Donkor, who questioned what valuable lessons prospective attorneys could acquire if judicial rulings are continuously subjected to political interpretations rather than impartial legal analysis.
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He questioned, "So what are new lawyers even learning in school?"
He went on to criticize the behavior of several well-known legal personalities, claiming that even well-known attorneys are increasingly interpreting court decisions from partisan viewpoints rather than concentrating on the legal concepts that underlie the verdicts.
The journalist warned that such behaviour leaves room for misinformation and uninformed public commentary, with individuals lacking legal expertise dominating discussions on social media and shaping public opinion.
Describing the development as "the fruit of bad politics and partisan madness," Erastus Asare Donkor cautioned that Ghana is heading down a dangerous path if political loyalty continues to outweigh respect for the rule of law.
His comments come amid heightened public debate over several recent court decisions, many of which have sparked sharp political reactions and renewed discussions about judicial independence, legal interpretation, and the need to preserve confidence in Ghana's justice system.