Call for more clarity in appointment of judges

The Times notes that, “By the standards of a legal culture that has been resistant to change, the judiciary has undergone significant reshaping in recent years. High judicial turnover has brought an influx of new and younger judges to the High Court. Women’s representation on the bench is increasing steadily. And since its establishment in 2014, the Court of Appeal has made progress in easing a chronic backlog of cases and will in time free the Supreme Court to focus on cases of national significance.”

But it calls for further and more rapid reforms in the training and selection of judges: “The idea of a judicial council, which would deal with training, education and disciplinary matters affecting judges, has been discussed for a decade yet remains to be acted on by the Government.

“The system by which lawyers are selected for judicial office lacks the rigour and transparency one would expect of a corner-shop hiring a cashier, let alone a courts system seeking to fill some of the most important and sensitive posts in the State.

“A properly-resourced, professional selection system – similar to that by which we fill high-level posts in the Civil Service – is essential.”