Judicial Conduct

An English judge has been issued with a formal warning for misconduct after referring to a judicial colleague as a "trolley dolly". The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) imposed the sanction on Michael Barnes JP after a fellow magistrate made a number of allegations about his behaviour.

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal concerning Mr Justice Charles Meenan’s refusal to recuse himself where fresh allegations of objective bias were made on the basis of his son’s employment in Arthur Cox LLP, the firm on record for the respondents. Delivering judgment for the Supre

The European Court of Human Rights is to set up an ethics council to advise the president of the court on matters of judicial ethics. The president will be able to consult the new ethics council whenever they consider it necessary to give guidance to a judge seeking advice on compliance with the eth

A senior judge has been disciplined after sending a letter "expressing his love" to a young colleague. Mr Justice Marcus Smith, 57, a former president of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, “passed a handwritten letter” to a woman and referred to his "feelings for her", a ruling from the Ju

Judge Gerard O'Brien has resigned as a judge of the Circuit Court in the wake of his conviction on charges of attempted rape and sexual assault. His resignation comes after the Attorney General was asked to advise the government and Oireachtas on their options following his conviction, as no sitting

The Attorney General has been asked to advise the government of its options following the conviction of a Circuit Court judge for attempted rape and sexual assault. Judge Gerard O'Brien was convicted in late December of sexually abusing six men between 1991 and 1997 while working as a Dublin schoolt

A senior judge in England and Wales has been disciplined for bullying.

An Australian judge has been ordered to personally pay damages to a man he imprisoned for contempt following "a parody of a court hearing". The Federal Court of Australia yesterday awarded over $300,000 AUD (around €180,000 or £150,000) to the man, identified by the pseudonym "Mr Stradfor

Judges in England and Wales are being urged to reflect on the risk of perceived bias before agreeing to speak at barristers' chambers or law firms. The suggestion comes as part of the revised guidelines on judicial conduct issued this week.

Restrictions on the disclosure of evidence heard in-camera are creating an inadvertent barrier to complaints about the conduct of judges in family law cases, the Judicial Council has said.

The Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland has said she "provided advice and guidance" to a Tyrone judge after his comments while sentencing a man for sexual assault "caused legitimate concern". Judge Brian Sherrard KC, sitting in Dungannon Crown Court, had told the 36-year-old defendant he was "sti

A member of the Northern Ireland Assembly has submitted a formal complaint to the Lady Chief Justice in connection with remarks made by a judge during a sexual assault hearing. The complaint centres on comments made by Judge Brian Sherrard KC in Dungannon Crown Court as he was sentencing a man who a

The Judicial Council is, as of today, accepting complaints from members of the public about alleged judicial misconduct. Helen McEntee, the justice minister, has signed an order bringing into operation the remaining provisions of the Judicial Council Act 2019 concerning judicial conduct and ethics.

Judicial conduct and ethics guidelines adopted by the Judicial Council in February will come into force within weeks, according to reports. A spokesperson for justice minister Helen McEntee told The Irish Times that it is "envisaged" that an order bringing the relevant sections of the Judicial Act 2

Irish judges should be bound by a code of conduct even in their retirement to prevent a repeat of the controversy around the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) Courts, a retired senior counsel has said. Bill Shipsey SC, a former chair of Amnesty International Ireland, was among the first to c