Judicial Appointments

On 31 March, justice minister Helen McEntee announced the introduction of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022, which aims to overhaul the current system for judicial appointments in Ireland. The legislative proposals arrived to much fanfare from the Department of Justice, with the bill be

Mr Justice Senan Allen has been nominated by ministers for appointment as an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal. A judge on the High Court since 2018, Mr Justice Allen will fill the vacancy arising from the appointment of Mr Justice Brian Murray to the Supreme Court in February.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine, the president of the High Court, will take early retirement later this year, according to reports. The 65-year-old judge is said to have told colleagues of her decision at a private meeting in the Four Courts on Friday morning.

Sitting judges seeking promotion to a higher court will have to undergo an interview under the government's proposed reform of the judicial appointments process. The Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022, which was published today, will introduce the most significant reforms to the judicial app

Legislation to introduce the most significant reforms to the judicial appointments process in 25 years will be published within weeks and enacted by the end of September, the government has announced. The enactment of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2020 is one of 159 actions to be deliver

Up to 20 new High Court judges are still required to deal with Covid backlogs, the president of the High Court has said. During a preliminary hearing yesterday, Mrs Justice Mary Irvine said the court "is short about 18 or 20 judges at the moment and we have arrears across all divisions", the Irish I

Mr Justice Brian Murray has been nominated by ministers for appointment to the Supreme Court. A judge of the Court of Appeal since November 2019, his appointment would fill the long-standing vacancy arising from the retirement of Mr Justice Liam McKechnie in April 2019.

Kerida Naidoo SC has been nominated for appointment as an ordinary judge of the High Court. His appointment will increase the size of the bench, having been appointed to fill a vacancy created under section 8 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021, which allows the statutory complement

Sitting judges seeking promotion will have to complete special training to be considered eligible as part of proposed reforms to the judicial appointments process. Justice minister Helen McEntee is expected to publish her proposals for long-awaited reform of the judicial appointments process early t

Irish legal academic Professor Suzanne Kingston SC has been appointed as a judge of the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Professor Kingston has been a member of faculty at UCD Sutherland School of Law since 2007. Since 2015, she has led a major European Research Co

Siobhan Phelan SC has been nominated by ministers for appointment as an ordinary judge of the High Court. Her appointment was approved alongside that of Judge Karen O'Connor and Conor Dignam SC, whose nominations for appointment to the High Court were confirmed earlier this week.

Ministers have nominated Judge Karen O'Connor and Conor Dignam SC for appointment to the High Court. Judge O'Connor is a Circuit Court judge in Dublin, while Mr Dignam is a practising barrister who called to the Bar in 1996 and the Inner Bar in 2011.

Future applicants for judicial office in Northern Ireland have been invited to help pilot a new online testing and assessment system. The Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC) is exploring the utility of using online platforms for testing and assessment and also as a mitigation m

The heads of the Bar and the Law Society should be considered for inclusion in the membership of the proposed new Judicial Appointments Commission, the Oireachtas justice committee has recommended. The joint committee on justice has completed pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Jud

A public consultation has been opened to seek the views of the public on issues relating to judicial resources, including the number of judges needed in Ireland over the next five years. Responses to the consultation will be considered by the new judicial planning working group headed by Brigid McMa