Who We Are: Brief History
The National Association of Trial Judges of Liberia (NATJL) is the only professional and corporate entity comprising judges and magistrates within the Judicial Branch of the Government of the Republic of Liberia. The NATJL reportedly existed, prior to 1980, as an unincorporated organization, but it became dormant following the 1980 coup d’état led by Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe, and throughout much of Liberia's civil unrest from December 1989 to 2003. The NATJL was subsequently rejuvenated through the efforts of former Chief Justice, Her Honor Chief Justice Frances Johnson Morris Allison, then Probate Court Judge, and Justice M. Wilkins Wright, then Civil Law Court Judge. After another period of inactivity, the NATJL was reorganized by the late Judge William B. Metzgar in 1997, where he served as President until 2003. In 2003, Judge J. Boima Kontoe, who was then serving as Interim President, was mandated to draft a Constitution, which engendered present-day NATJL. In 2007, Associate Justice Yusif D. Kaba, then Resident Circuit Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Montserrado County, became the first democratically elected President of the unincorporated NATJL, serving from 2007 to 2009.
To legitimize the association, on October 22, 2010, the National Association of Trial Judges of Liberia (NATJL) was formally incorporated and registered as a legal entity. The NATJL incorporators included the late Judge James W. Zotaa, Jr., Resident Judge, 1st Judicial Circuit, Criminal Court A; the late Judge S. Geevon Smith, Resident Judge of the 14th Judicial Circuit of River Cess County; Her Honor Mardea T. Chenoweth, Resident Circuit Judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit of Margibi County; His Honor George S. Wiles, Jr., Resident Circuit Judge of the 7thJudicial Circuit of Grand Gedeh County; and the late Magistrate George C. Katakpah.
Since its incorporation, the presidents of the NATJL have included the following:
1. Judge James W. Zotaa, Jr. (2010–2012)
2. Judge James E. Jones (2012–2016)
3. Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie (2016–2020)
4. Resident Chief Judge Eva Mappy Morgan (2020–2022), first female President
5. Her Honor Nancy Finda Sammy( 2022-2026), second female president
6. Judge Ousman Fritz Feika ( 2026-Present)
On November 13, 2017, NATJL became a member of the International Association of Judges, further strengthening its relationship with the global judicial community.
Our Aims
Our aim is to promote the administration of justice in Liberia by supporting trial judges through professional development, ethics, research, exchange of best practices, and mutual support, while upholding judicial independence, impartiality and integrity.
Our objectives:
Our objectives are:
1. To seek and promote professional development and continuing education for trial judges, promotion of high ethical standards and codes of conduct and , the welfare and well-being of its members.
2. To facilitate jurisprudential research, publication, and sharing of best practices whilst seeking to promote and enhance harmonious working relationship with the Supreme Court Bench and the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA), the United States Federal Bar Association (FBA), the American Bar Association (ABA), and especially the International Association of Judges(IAJ), the American Judges Association (AJA) and the Federal Judges Association (FJA), African Bar Association, and other associations that share common vision with the NATJL.
3. To enhance the effective administration of justice and contribute to the development of the law in Liberia through continual legal education of its members.
4. To support, uphold, protect and defend the independence and impartiality of judges and the Liberian Judiciary and the rule of law.
5. To ensure and assure public confidence in the integrity of the Liberian Judiciary by engagement with the public and other branches of government in a constructive and lawful manner.
6. To ensure that the Judicial Canons of the Republic of Liberia and all other ethical and professional standards are observed and adhered to.
7. To work with and in collaboration with the Chief Justice and Associate Justices to encourage and ensure that the Government of Liberia(GOL) assists I underwriting the costs associated with section 1-4 above, consistent with the policy of supporting, upholding, protecting and defending judicial independence and the rule of law in Liberia.
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote the welfare and well-being of our members , while at the same time,maintaining a harmonious and professional relationship between the Supreme Court Bench and the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) for an effective Judicial System and the respect for the Rule of Law. As the umbrella organization for judges and magistrates, we endeavor to ensure that our members remain independent, impartial, professionally competent, while upholding the constitutional mandate of judges and magistrates to dispense justice without fear or favor.
Our Vision
To be a strong, independent, professional, and globally respected association of judges and magistrates, committed to promoting judicial excellence, protecting judicial independence and integrity, advancing the welfare and professional development of its members, strengthening the administration of justice, and upholding the Rule of Law in Liberia.
Our Motto:
Our Motto is “Sacerdos Lustitiae (PRIESTS OF JUSTICE)”