The “New Lawyer”

Friday, February 16:

Before we left for Arusha, our hosts at the Judicial Studies Institute invited us to attend a ceremony, which at first we thought was called the “New Lawyer.” We didn’t really understand the title given that we were told that the ceremony was meant to assess the effectiveness of the judiciary in the prior year and to set goals for the coming year. At dinner with Elizabeth Musoke, we asked about it, and she explained (or so we thought) that it was called “The Law! Yeah!,” which we thought was an enthusiastic, but odd, name for the ceremony. Finally, we figured out that we had been invited to the opening of the “New Law Year.”

While we have become accustomed to some level of pomp and circumstance in our training sessions here in Uganda, this ceremony took it to a new level. The emcee for the event announced each honored guest as he or she arrived, and the police marching band gave a fanfare before the arrival of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. (Although we did not get announced, we were the only foreigners present other than representatives of the embassies of China, Kenya, and Rwanda.) During the ceremony, we sat on the balcony of the High Court, surrounded by judicial officers ranging from Grade I magistrates to High Court and Supreme Court judges decked out in ceremonial wigs and elaborately embroidered robes.

Then the speeches began. We were particularly impressed by the first speech, from the president of the Ugandan Judicial Officers Association, a group that represents the interests of magistrates; he focused on the fact that while High Court, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court judges have received recently raises, the magistrates have not gotten a raise in seven years and are currently paid about $300 per month. Next, the president of the Ugandan Law Society spoke chastising on the executive branch’s interference with the judiciary during the presidential election last year.

After the speeches, we joined the judges and other visiting dignitaries for a sherry party, where we had the opportunity to catch up with a number of the individuals that we have met during prior visits and where it was proposed that we be made honorary citizens of Uganda.