New president of the Circuit Court sworn in to Supreme Court

President of the Circuit Court, Judge Keenan Johnson, with Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell and outgoing Circuit President Judge Patrica Ryan, at his Declaration in the Supreme Court

Judge Johnson was born in Ballymote County Sligo and educated at the local primary school and subsequently at second level in Colaiste Muire Ballymote.

He obtained a BCL (Bachelor of Civil Law) degree from University College Dublin in 1979 and subsequently was enrolled as a solicitor in 1982. He practised with the firm of Johnson and Johnson solicitors which was based in Ballymote and Sligo until his appointment as a Circuit Court Judge in April of 2012.

His legal practise covered all areas of law, including civil litigation, probate, conveyancing, family cases, landlord and tenant and criminal cases. He was an associate member of the Institute of Arbitrators.

President Johnson with his wife Marie Johnson

President Johnson is also a qualified mediator and has a huge interest in ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution.

He was a council member of the Law Society from 1994 to 2002. During that time he chaired the Society’s Guidance and Ethics Committee.

He was a movable Circuit Court Judge from April 2012 until his appointment as the assigned judge to the Midland Circuit in November 2014. This circuit covers counties Westmeath, Offaly, Laoise Longford, Roscommon and Sligo.

President Johnson acquired an LLM from Northumbria University in 2018, having completed a dissertation on the feasibility of judge led mediation in family law proceedings.

He made his declaration as President of the Circuit Court on July 17th 2026 in the Supreme Court – thus beginning his role.

As the President of the Circuit Court, he will lead the Circuit Court’s judicial administration, determining case distribution across the country’s circuits. Appointed from among the (up to) 46 existing Circuit Judges, the President also serves as an ex-officio additional Judge of the High Court, and sits on the Judicial Council, and board of the Courts Service.

As such, the President’s role includes his work on the bench, judicial leadership and court operations:

• Judicial Leadership: Takes precedence over all other Circuit Judges, presiding over their caseloads while setting the standard and assigning duties for up to 46 ordinary judges across 8 circuits.
• Administrative Oversight: Requests particulars and manages the general distribution and flow of business in the Circuit Court from county registrars and the Courts Service to ensure efficient access to justice.
• High Court Functions: He acts as an additional judge of the High Court, maintaining a critical bridge between those two tiers of the courts system.
• Judicial Governance: He undertakes a statutory role in the Judicial Council, which promotes excellence and education, and maintains conduct standards within the judiciary.