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By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, June 15, 2026—Resident Circuit Judge J. Kennedy Peabody of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court for Montserrado County, has reminded Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay and other judicial officials that “power is temporary.”
Judge Peabody made these remarks during his address at the official opening of the Civil Law Court, highlighting instances of abuse of power, intimidation, and disunity within the judiciary, following his return to the bench after a one-and-a-half-year suspension.
Delivering his remarks before Chief Justice Gbeisay at the formal opening of the Civil Law Court on Monday, June 15, 2026, Judge Peabody spoke on the theme, “The Vicious Cycle of Hatred, and Its Threat to Democracy, Reconciliation, and National Development.” He emphasized that history teaches painful lessons to nations that ignore justice, suppress truth, and abuse power.
According to Judge Peabody, the events of April 12, 1980, in Liberia and the ensuing fourteen-year civil conflict did not arise in isolation.
He attributed these dark chapters to accumulated grievances, inequality, abuse of office, suppression of dissent, tribal exclusion, and the persistent denial of fairness and dignity to citizens.
He further warned that when individuals are denied justice, unlawfully suppressed, humiliated, or punished through fabricated accusations and misuse of authority, such actions leave lasting resentment.
Judge Peabody asserted that unattended wounds become bitterness, bitterness becomes hatred, hatred breeds division, and division ultimately undermines peace, reconciliation, and national development. He added that this is why the vicious cycle of hatred persists.
“Today, I do not speak to encourage impunity, lawlessness, or disorder. Rather, I advocate for lawful conduct, constitutional democracy, accountability, and respect for the rule of law. Public authority must never be used as a weapon for personal revenge, vendetta, intimidation, or the settling of private disputes. Officials entrusted with public office must remember that power is temporary, but the consequences of injustice are lasting,” he stated.
Judge Peabody urged that the law must always stand above personal interest, warning that no official should use their office to tarnish another’s reputation without substantial evidence.
“No authority should manipulate processes, manufacture falsehoods, distort facts, or weaponize institutions against subordinates due to personal grievances. Such conduct undermines public confidence and erodes the moral foundation of democratic governance. Constitutional democracy survives because it can withstand scrutiny, criticism, truth, and accountability,” he noted.
However, he asserted that when authority circumvents the law, abuses due process, intimidates subordinates, and suppresses dissent through fear and misinformation, democracy itself is endangered.
“When the rule of law and human rights are threatened, democracy itself is at risk. This sets a dangerous precedent. The greatest threat to any society is the normalization of abuse of offices.
History has repeatedly shown that when institutions become instruments of personal retaliation rather than justice, social cohesion collapses. Trust between citizens and institutions erodes, reconciliation becomes difficult, development suffers, relationships break down, and fear replaces cooperation while hatred quietly festers,” he concluded.
