Government agrees to temporary process for chief justice appointment

The Department of Justice said that the Cabinet had agreed that a committee of three would consider candidates for the post , which will become vacant in August after Chief Justice Susan Denham (pictured) retires.

The committee will comprise Mr Justice Seán Ryan, president of the Court of Appeal; Attorney General Séamus Woulfe SC and Jane Williams, chairwoman of the Top Level Appointments Committee.

A spokesman for the Government said it was at the discretion of the committee how many names it would like to pass on to Government.

However, opposition legal figures said it would be unconstitutional to curtail the Government’s choice by, for example, submitting only one name.

Senior members of Government insisted that the decision on a new chief justice would be made by the Cabinet as a whole.

Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Jim O’Callaghan said: “The Government needs to clarify if it is asking the committee to nominate one candidate or three candidates as is envisaged by the Bill.

“If the Government is seeking only one name from the committee and has agreed to accept that name, then it is in danger of undermining the constitutional responsibility that rests on government to nominate a person to the office of chief justice.”