Liberian lawyer and former vice-presidential candidate, Cllr. Charlyne M. Brumskine, has been sworn in as a judge of the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The induction ceremony took place on October 6, at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. Brumskine was one of five judges inducted, and her appointment gives Liberia a seat on the regional bench for the Court’s 2026-2030 term.
The other newly inducted judges are Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin, Awa Bah of The Gambia, Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria, and Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo. They succeed judges whose four-year mandates have ended, including Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves of Cape Verde and Sengu Mohamed Koroma of Sierra Leone. The new judges are expected to choose a president and vice-president from among themselves, each serving a two-year leadership term.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, administered the oath of office to the new judges. In his charge to the judges, President Faye urged them to uphold impartiality, independence, and credibility as they take on the responsibility of administering justice in the West African bloc. He emphasized the need for the judges to strengthen public confidence in the Court.
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, headquartered in Abuja, is the judicial organ of the regional bloc. It is mandated to hear disputes over the interpretation and application of ECOWAS legal instruments and to provide judicial protection within the regional community. The Court plays a central role in protecting rights and interpreting the legal framework of the West African community.
Brumskine was appointed to the Court in July 2026 for the 2026-2030 term. Her induction marks a shift from national legal practice and politics to regional judicial service. She is a graduate of Columbia University and the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. Her training laid the groundwork for a career built on constitutional law, gender rights, and governance reform.
Brumskine is the founder and managing attorney of CMB Law Group, LLC, a law firm based in Monrovia. She has practiced as an attorney and advocate on constitutional questions, the rights of women and girls, and reforms aimed at strengthening governance in Liberia. She has also worked in legal education, teaching law at the University of Liberia’s Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law.
Brumskine’s appointment places a Liberian jurist on a court that plays a central role in protecting rights and interpreting the legal framework of the West African community. Her induction comes as Liberia continues to engage more closely with regional institutions on governance, human rights, rule of law, and justice.
Key points
- Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine was sworn in as a judge of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice on October 6.
- The new judges are expected to choose a president and vice-president from among themselves, each serving a two-year leadership term.
- Brumskine’s appointment gives Liberia a seat on the regional bench for the Court’s 2026-2030 term.
