Judicial Appointments

An additional 24 judges will be appointed across the Irish courts this year and a further 20 judges next year, the government has announced. The overall number of judges in the State will increase from 173 to 217 by the end of 2024 under government plans to implement the recommendations of the judic

Mícheál P O’Higgins SC, a former chair of The Bar of Ireland, has been nominated by ministers for appointment to the High Court bench. In addition, barrister Elizabeth Maguire SC and solicitor Simon McAleese have been nominated for appointment as judges of the Circuit Court.

Judge Patrick Kinney has been appointed and sworn into office as a High Court judge in Northern Ireland in one of three new judicial appointments. Alongside the appointment of Mr Justice Kinney, Judge Mark McGarrity and Mark Reel have been appointed as County Court judges.

Mr Justice Stephen Fowler has been appointed as president of the Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board. The High Court judge yesterday took on the role from Mr Justice Ian Huddleston, who was appointed to the role just last year.

The government has nominated Mr Justice Maurice Collins for appointment to the Supreme Court and Judge Melanie Greally for appointment to the High Court. Mr Justice Collins, a great-nephew of Michael Collins, will fill the Supreme Court vacancy arising from the retirement of Mr Justice Frank Clarke

Judge Síofra O'Leary has formally taken up the presidency of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) with effect from today. The first woman and the first Irish person to serve as president of the court in its 63-year history, she will serve for an initial two-year term until 2024.

Maxine Orr has been appointed as vice-president of the Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal in Northern Ireland. Mrs Orr, who was appointed as an employment judge in 2018, was yesterday sworn into her new office before the Lady Chief Justice, Dame Siobhan Keegan.

A barrister and two solicitors have been nominated by ministers for appointment to judicial posts. Elva Duffy SC has been nominated for appointment as a Circuit Court judge, filling the vacancy arising from the retirement of Judge Patrick Meghan earlier this month.

Around €2.5 million has been set aside in anticipation of a "significant increase in the number of judges" in the State, justice minister Helen McEntee has said. An increase in judicial numbers is likely to be a headline recommendation of the judicial planning working group headed by civil serv

Dr Laura Cahillane calls for legislative reform to end the practice of directly elevating attorney generals to the bench. Last June, during the report stage of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, the Sinn Féin justice spokesman Martin Kenny put down an amendment to create a cooling-off

Judge Síofra O’Leary, the Irish judge on the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), has been elected as the president of the court for a two-year term. She is the first woman and the first Irish person to serve as president of the court in its 63-year history, and will take up office o

Mr Justice Mark Horner has been appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland. Previously a High Court judge, he was sworn into office today at a ceremony in the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast.

Lord Lloyd-Jones has been re-appointed to the UK Supreme Court alongside new justice Sir David Richards. The retired justice's reappointment has been made possible the increasing of the mandatory judicial retirement age earlier this year from 70 to 75.

Former High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly has resigned as a judge of the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) Courts. The retired judge was sworn in last week alongside former chief justice Frank Clarke. Both have now resigned following criticism focused on the UAE's poor record on hum

Ms Justice Nuala Butler has been nominated for appointment to the Court of Appeal in a move that will make it the first court in Irish history to have a majority of women judges. A judge of the High Court since 2020, Ms Justice Butler's appointment will fill the vacancy created by Mr Justice David B