Johnnie Lewis

Johnnie N. Lewis (April 16, 1946 – January 21, 2015) was a Liberian lawyer and politician who served as the 18th Chief Justice of Liberia from 2006 to 2012. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served as a circuit judge in Liberia's judicial system.

Early life Johnnie N. Lewis was born to Roderick N. Lewis and Mary Houston-Lewis in Greenville, Sinoe County, Liberia on April 16, 1946. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a school teacher; he had three brothers and two sisters. He was the editor of the Liberian Law Journal during his time in law school, and graduated cum laude in 1969. Upon taking office, he vowed to fight corruption that had plagued the judicial branch in the country.

The Lewis court Chief Justice Lewis fired 34 judges in Sinoe County in April 2006 after they failed to report to their assigned courts. In July 2006, the car Lewis was riding in to the funeral of former justice Emmanuel Wureh hit and killed a pedestrian who was jaywalking. The car was driven by a court employee and was speeding at the time of the accident in an attempt to catch up with the funeral procession. The ruling in January 2007 also invalidated other actions of the legislature including a resolution to allow the Legislature to meet at the Unity Conference Center in Virginia while the Capitol Building in Monrovia was being remodeled.

In October 2007, the Chief Justice accused newspapers in the country of deliberately misspelling his name and using pictures of him inappropriately. He threatened to jail the editors and writers if the practice continued for contempt of court. The court determined that once money was available, the government must hold the elections, which had not been held since 1985.

Lewis died in Monrovia on January 21, 2015, en route to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center. His funeral was held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Monrovia on February 5. He was buried at his family cemetery in Greenville the following day.