Retired from her distinguished service after more than 34 years, Supreme Court Judge Justice Mariama Owusu stepped down from the bench on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
A retirement ceremony was held at the Supreme Court to commemorate this occasion, where Justice Owusu took her ‘last bow’ as she left the bench.
A video shared by The Law Platform captured her singing and joyfully dancing to a Christian hymn performed by a choir during the event. Chief Justice Gertrude and the other justices of the court joined in, singing along and applauding Justice Owusu. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Justice Owusu remained seated while her fellow justices stood, turned towards her, and bowed in a gesture of homage.
Justice Mariama Owusu was appointed to the Supreme Court in December 2019 following her nomination by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. She served as part of the seven-member panel that adjudicated the 2020 election petition brought by former President John Dramani Mahama against the Electoral Commission of Ghana and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Additionally, Justice Owusu was one of five justices who ruled in favor of the application challenging Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four vacant seats in Parliament, overturning the Speaker’s decision.
A profile of Justice Owusu by thelawplatform.com describes the learned Justice of the Apex Court, Her Ladyship Mariama Owusu J.S.C., as known for her calm, collected, and measured character in speech and temperance. Her retirement from the bench took place on November 13, 2024. Justice Owusu began her judicial career in 1990 and was appointed to the Supreme Court Bench after a successful vetting process in 2019, alongside her sisters Lovelace-Johnson J.S.C and Torkornoo J.S.C, who is now the Chief Justice of the Republic.
Hailing from Beposo in the Ashanti Region, Justice Mariama Owusu completed her secondary education at T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School, Kumasi (T.I. Accumulate). She became a barrister in 1981. Justice Owusu gained experience practicing law at Totoe Legal Services before transitioning to the bench in 1990 as a district magistrate. She later became a circuit court judge in 1992. Prior to this, Totoe Legal Services was overseen by Justice Mariam Gyasi Jawhary, who was recently appointed to the Court of Appeal Bench.
She was promoted to a judge of the High Court in 2000. In 2003, she was designated as the overseeing High Court judge for Sunyani until 2005. One year later, in 2006, she was named a Justice of the Court of Appeal. In 2019, she was then appointed to the Supreme Court.
She has been an active participant in the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), and was the President of the Ghana chapter from 2014 to 2018.
Justice Mariama Owusu also held roles on the Ethics Committee of the Judicial Service and on the Performing Assets Committee of the Judicial Service from 2010 to 2014.