| Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of Sierra Leone | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 26, 2008 |
|
| Nominated by | Ernest Bai Koroma |
| Preceded by | Ade Renner Thomas |
| Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone | |
| In office May, 2002 – January 26, 2008 |
|
| Nominated by | Ahmad Tejan Kabbah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Nationality | Sierra Leonean |
| Political party | Non |
| Residence | Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Alma mater | Fourah Bay College |
| Profession | Judge, Lawyer |
| Religion | Islam |
Umu Hawa Tejan Jalloh is the current Chief Justice of Sierra Leone. She was sworn in as Sierra Leone's new Chief Justice on January 26, 2008 after being appointed by president Ernest Bai Koroma with the approval of the Sierra Leone Parliament to replace outgoing Chief Justice Ade Renner Thomas. Before being appointed to the position, she was a Supreme Court Judge of Sierra Leone. She is the sister of Sierra Leonean politician Sulaiman Tejan-Jalloh.
Jalloh is the first woman to hold the Chief Justice position in Sierra Leone's history. She is a muslim and a member of the Fula ethnic group from Koinadugu District.
Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh was born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone to muslim parents from the Fula ethnic group from Kabala, Koinadugu District in the north of the country. She attendend the Harford Secondary School for Girls in Moyamba, Moyamba District]] and the St. Edward's Secondary School in Freetown.
After her secondary education, she attended Sierra Leone's Fourah Bay College and Njala University and got a Bachelor of Laws degree. In 1974, She got a scholarship to study at the prestigious Columbia University in New York, where she did her Master of Laws. She later continued her legal education at the University of London.