Lesson 1: Constitutional and Administrative Law for Postgraduates

AV Dicey, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (10th edn, Macmillan 1959) 187-203.

Tom Bingham, The Rule of Law (Allen Lane 2010) ch 3-10.

Entick v Carrington (1765) 19 St Tr 1029.

Montesquieu, De l’Esprit des Lois (1748) bk XI, ch 6; John Locke, Second Treatise of Government (1689) chs XII-XIV; Aristotle, Politics, bk IV.

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, ss 40, 53, 73, 106 and 120.

Liyanage v The Queen 1 AC 259 (PC).

Tuffuor v Attorney-General GLR 637 (CA sitting as SC, Ghana).

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, ss 124 and 127.

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, s 134.

Gouriet v Union of Post Office Workers AC 435 (HL).

Marbury v Madison 5 US (1 Cranch) 137 (1803).

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, s 108. Verify the precise list of entrenched provisions and the referendum thresholds in s 108 before citing pinpoint figures in an examination.

Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala AIR 1973 SC 1461.

Yaniv Roznai, Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments: The Limits of Amendment Powers (OUP 2017); Gary Jacobsohn, Constitutional Identity (Harvard UP 2010).

R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union UKSC 5-.

Nafiu Rabiu v The State (1980) 8-11 SC 130 (SC Nigeria).

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, ss 29; see also s 21 of Chapter III on derogations during emergency. Verify the current text of the parliamentary approval requirements in s 29 before citing pinpoint subsections.

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Freedom of Information Law and Good Governance: The Curse of Corruption in Sierra Leone (2021); Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, The Diverse Facets of Corruption in Sierra Leone (2024).

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, ch III (ss 15-30); s 108.

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, ss 15-30.

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, ch II and s 14.

R v Oakes 1 SCR 103 (SCC); Aharon Barak, Proportionality: Constitutional Rights and their Limitations (CUP 2012).

S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC); ZACC 3.

Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 2021 (Act No 12 of 2021) (Sierra Leone).

Government of the Republic of South Africa v Grootboom 2001 (1) SA 46 (CC).

SERAP v Federal Republic of Nigeria and Universal Basic Education Commission ECW/CCJ/JUD/07/10 (ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, 30 November 2010).

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, s 28. On the design point, compare eg Constitution of Kenya 2010, art 23 (High Court enforcement).

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, s 27; Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act 2022 (Sierra Leone); Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996, s 9(2).

Ransome-Kuti v Attorney-General of the Federation (1985) 2 NWLR (Pt 6) 211 (SC Nigeria).

Maneka Gandhi v Union of India AIR 1978 SC 597.

Pan African Visions, "APC Secretary-General Remanded in Sierra Leone Court Over Alleged Incitement" (February 2026); Sierra Leone Monitor, "Lansana Dumbuya Granted Bail Following Third Court Appearance" (2026). Ongoing proceedings: verify current status before citing.

This Day (Sierra Leone), "Zainab Sheriff jailed as debate deepens over use of Public Order Law" (April 2026). Verify appeal status before citing.

Public Order Act 1965 (Act No 46 of 1965) (Sierra Leone); Independent Media Commission Act 2020 repealed the criminal and seditious libel provisions of Part V.

African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (adopted 27 June 1981, entered into force 21 October 1986) (1982) 21 ILM 58.

Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone Act 2004 (Act No 9 of 2004); HRCSL, State of Human Rights in Sierra Leone (annual reports).

HWR Wade and CF Forsyth, Administrative Law (11th edn, OUP 2014) 4-5.

Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service AC 374 (HL).

Kabba v Kamara (High Court of Sierra Leone, unreported): cited in lecture; the compiler could not verify this decision against public databases, and it should be confirmed from the court record before reliance.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd v Wednesbury Corporation 1 KB 223 (CA).

Dimes v Grand Junction Canal Proprietors (1852) 3 HL Cas 759; R v Bow Street Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, ex p Pinochet Ugarte (No 2) 1 AC 119 (HL); Porter v Magill 2 AC 357 (HL).

Ridge v Baldwin AC 40 (HL).

R v North and East Devon Health Authority, ex p Coughlan QB 213 (CA).

Anisminic Ltd v Foreign Compensation Commission 2 AC 147 (HL).

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, s 146; Ombudsman Act 1997 (Sierra Leone).

Anti-Corruption Act 2008 (Act No 12 of 2008) (Sierra Leone), as amended in 2019.

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Deconstructing Corruption in Africa (2025).

John Hart Ely, Democracy and Distrust: A Theory of Judicial Review (Harvard UP 1980); Alexander Bickel, The Least Dangerous Branch (Bobbs-Merrill 1962) (coining the counter-majoritarian difficulty).

Jeremy Waldron, "The Core of the Case Against Judicial Review" (2006) 115 Yale LJ 1346.

SP Gupta v Union of India AIR 1982 SC 149; Gouriet v Union of Post Office Workers AC 435 (HL).

Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, s 120.

Pulse Ghana, "Ghana wins ECOWAS Court case as removed CJ Torkornoo’s human rights claims are dismissed" (24 June 2026); Graphic Online, "ECOWAS court grants Torkornoo’s request to amend case to include removal from office" (January 2026). Verify the judgment reference before formal citation.