Supreme Court Rejects UMC Prohibition Request
Monrovia, Liberia: Liberia’s Supreme Court, under the gavel of its Chamber Justice Ceaineh D. Clinton-Johnson, has rejected a request by the United Methodist Church (UMC) Liberia Annual Conference (LAC) for a writ of prohibition against the St. Paul River District Lay Leader, L. Orlando Boyce, I.
By the refusal of Supreme Court Associate Justice in Chamber, Clinton-Johnson, to grant the writ of probation as prayed for, the matter has been subsequently forwarded back to the jurisdiction of Judge J. Boima Kontoe, Resident Circuit Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Bong County.
Prior to being nominated by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia to replace fallen Associate Justice Joseph Nagbe, Associate Ceaineh Clinton-Johnson served as the Resident Circuit Judge of Criminal Court “E,” 1st Judicial Circuit, Montserrado County.
President Boakai made the nomination on Friday, June 21, 2024, with the appointment being subject to confirmation by the Liberian Senate.
With Associate Justice Ceaineh Clinton-Johnson declining to issue the probation against the St. Paul River District Lay Leader, under the signature of the Chief Clerk of the high court, it states, “By directive of Her Honor Ceaineh D. Clinton-Johnson, Associate Justice presiding in Chambers, you are hereby mandated to resume jurisdiction and proceed in keeping with law, as the Justice has declined to issue the writ prayed for.”
With this decision, the case captioned “The United Methodist Annual Conference, by and thru it Resident Bishop, Samuel J. Quire, Jr.; Administrative Assistant Rev. J. Joel Gould; and Conference Lay Leader, Tolbert Nyenswah, all Officers of Gbarnga, Bong County (PETITIONER) VERSUS His Honor J. Boima Kontoe, Resident Judge; Circuit Judge Presiding, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Bong County; 1ST Respondent AND L. Olando Boyce, District Lay Leader, St. Paul River District , Montserrado County, Liberia; 2nd Respondent,” will now be forwarded to Judge Kontoe for adjudication.
This legal battle has its root on February 14, 2025, when Judge Boima Kontoe placed an injunction on the UMC Annual Conference based on a request by L. Orlando Boyce, I., for declaratory judgment on his illegal suspension.
UMC Bishop Quire, Jr., through his administrative assistant, Joel Gould, and conference lay leader, Tolbert Nyenswah, took flight to the Supreme Court, praying the nation’s highest court to place probation on all legal proceedings pending the Supreme Court review of the matter.
The petitioner requested the then justice in chambers, His Honor Associate Justice Gbeisay, to halt Judge Kontoe from proceeding with the matter and lifting of the preliminary injunction on the activities of UMC.
The respondent, L. Olando Boyce, is challenging what he termed as his illegal suspension and participation in the just-ended annual conference held in Gbarnga, Bong County.
Boyce had accused the Annual Conference of promoting and accommodating the indoctrination of same-sex relationships in the United Methodist Church through the regionalization policy.
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