Judicial Appointments

Two lay members have been appointed to the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC). Deirdre Toner and Mark Mitchell have been appointed for a four-year term until 24 February 2030.

Northern Ireland barrister Emma McIlveen has been appointed as an employment judge in Scotland. A specialist in employment and public law, Ms McIlveen is qualified in four jurisdictions, frequently acting in England and Wales and both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.

Mr Justice Brian O'Moore and Ms Justice Niamh Hyland have been nominated for appointment to the Supreme Court. The two Court of Appeal judges have been nominated to fill the vacancies arising from the retirement of Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne this week and the scheduled retirement of Mr Justice Peter

The Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2030 for England and Wales has been published, setting out a framework for the judiciary’s diversity and inclusion work over the next five years. The strategy builds on the previous programme, which ran from 2020-2025, and is accompanied by a

Judge Philip Gilpin has been appointed by the Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland as presiding County Court judge and recorder of Belfast. His appointment to the senior judicial posts took effect yesterday and will be for a period of five years.

Mark Dunne SC and Micheál O’Connell SC have been nominated for appointment to the High Court bench. The pair will fill vacancies arising from the elevation of Mr Justice Alexander Owens to the Court of Appeal in September and the upcoming retirement of Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring.

Chief Justice Donal O'Donnell has been elected as president of the Network of Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union. Ireland's top judge was elected to the post late on Friday afternoon during a meeting of the network in The Hague.

Solicitor and former Law Society of Northern Ireland president Suzanne Rice has been appointed as a judge. Judge Rice was sworn into office as a district judge in the magistrates' courts before Dame Siobhan Keegan, the lady chief justice of Northern Ireland, on Friday.

Lord Sales has been appointed as the next deputy president of the UK Supreme Court. He will succeed Lord Hodge, who is retiring at the end of December, and will take the post up in January 2026.

Mr Justice Adrian Colton has been appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland.

The UK's opposition Conservative Party has mounted an unprecedented attack on sitting judges, accusing dozens of immigration judges of political bias. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, yesterday questioned whether judges who had previously supported or volunteered for charities providing

Judge Suzanne Kingston has been elected as president of one of the 10 chambers of the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The Irish judge, who has sat on the EU bench since 2021, now presides over the Ninth Chamber, which comprises judges Maria José Costeira, T

President Michael D. Higgins has formally appointed Mr Justice Alexander Owens to the Court of Appeal and Mr Justice Seán Gillane to the High Court. Mr Justice Gillane was nominated for appointment in July, becoming the first judge nominated following the introduction of the new Judicial Appo

Scottish judge Lady Carmichael is to succeed Lord Justice Singh as president of the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT). Lady Carmichael has been a member of the tribunal since 2019. She was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Courts in Scotland in May 2016 and was elevated to the Inner House i

The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is facing a challenge after refusing to release documentation relating to the selection process for new judges. Unsuccessful applicants have called for greater transparency and sought access to records concerning their individual applications under the Free