Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | GhanaReviewed | Marshall IslandsReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Mixed (common law and customary law) | Mixed common law with customary law |
| System of government | Unitary presidential republic | Parliamentary republic in free association with the United States |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Ghana | Constitution of the Marshall Islands |
| In force since | 1992 | 1979 |
| Capital | Accra | Majuro |
| Official languages | English, Akan, Ewe, Dagbani | Marshallese, English |
| Currency | Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Population | 34,100,000 | 42,000 |
| Division of powers | Executive president with a Cabinet drawn substantially from Parliament, a unicameral legislature, and a judiciary whose independence is protected by security of tenure and a charged-on-consolidated-fund salary. | Unitary with strong local government. Each inhabited atoll has an elected local council with substantial authority over land use and local services, and the Council of Iroij, a body of twelve traditional leaders, reviews legislation affecting custom and land and may express its opinion to the Nitijela. |
| How law is made | A bill is gazetted, read three times, considered by committee and passed by simple majority. Bills with financial implications need presidential consent to be introduced. The President assents; refusal returns the bill with reasons. | Bills pass the Nitijela and are signed by the President. Legislation affecting customary law, land tenure or traditional practice must be referred to the Council of Iroij, which may return its opinion to the chamber; the Nitijela may proceed regardless, but the referral is a required step. Constitutional amendments require either a two-thirds vote of the Nitijela followed by a referendum, or a constitutional convention. |
| Legal profession | Fused: an LLB, the Ghana School of Law professional course and enrolment admit a lawyer who may both solicit and advocate. | Practitioners are admitted by the Supreme Court, and admission rules recognise United States legal qualifications, so much of the bar trained in the US. The Traditional Rights Court works differently: its judges are selected for knowledge of custom and traditional title rather than legal qualification, and proceedings there are conducted in Marshallese. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.