The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has formally protested the issuance of warrants compelling specific High Court judges to continue part-heard criminal trials during the ongoing legal vacation, arguing the move breaches long-standing court rules and professional convention. The Chronicle has not independently verified the content of the underlying warrants or petitions, which are described here as characterised by the GBA. The legal basis of the disputeThe GBA’s objection rests on Order 79, Rule 4 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.I. Counsel’s right to declineCentral to the GBA’s argument is a claimed practice under which lawyers cannot be compelled to appear before a Vacation Court. It further argued that self-represented litigants should not be pressed to proceed in a lawyer’s absence during vacation, saying such absence should not be treated as wilful.