Discipline of Judicial Officers & Lawyers
- PART I: Appointment of Judicial Officers -
Meaning of “Judicial Officer” - S318(1) CFRN
Judicial officers are persons who preside over superior courts of record - courts created by the Constitution.
10 Categories of Judicial Officers
- Chief Justice of Nigeria + Justices of the Supreme Court;
- President + Justices of the Court of Appeal;
- Chief Judge + Judges of the Federal High Court;
- Chief Judge + Judges of the High Court of the FCT, Abuja;
- President + Judges of the National Industrial Court;
- Chief Judge of a State + Judges of State High Courts;
- Grand Kadi + Kadis of the Sharia Court of Appeal of the FCT;
- President + Judges of the Customary Court of Appeal of the FCT;
- Grand Kadi + Kadis of the Sharia Court of Appeal of a State;
- President + Judges of the Customary Court of Appeal of a State.
NB: Magistrate, District, Area, and Customary Courts are NOT superior courts - the officers presiding over them are NOT regarded as judicial officers for this purpose.
Qualification for Appointment
| Court | Post-call / Other Requirement | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Federal High Court / HC FCT / State HC | 10 years post-call | SS250(3), 256(3), 271(3) CFRN |
| National Industrial Court | 10 years post-call + knowledge/experience in labour law | S254B(3) CFRN |
| Sharia Court of Appeal - Lawyer | 10 years + qualification in Islamic Law | - |
| Sharia Court of Appeal - Non-Lawyer | Islamic-law qualification from NJC-approved institution + 12 years | - |
| Customary Court of Appeal - Lawyer | 10 years post-call + customary-law experience | - |
| Customary Court of Appeal - Non-Lawyer | Adequate knowledge and experience in customary-law practice | - |
| Court of Appeal | 12 years post-call | S238(3) CFRN |
| Supreme Court / CJN | Not less than 15 years post-call | S231(3) CFRN |
3-year cooling-off rule: NO legal practitioner can be appointed as judicial officer while still a member of NJC, FJSC, SJSC, or JSC FCT - until 3 years after cessation of membership.
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