European judges express ‘total solidarity’ with Irish judiciary

Ms Justice Donnelly recently ruled in the High Court that a case in which a man facing extradition to Poland objected on the basis that Polish judicial reforms had undermined the rule of law should be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The decision has not been received well in Poland and some right-wing news websites have published personal attacks on Ms Justice Donnelly.

The Association of Judges in Ireland (AJI) earlier said the “personalised attacks and invective” were “utterly unacceptable”.

The EAJ said that it wished to “strongly and unreservedly condemn” references to the judge’s personal and private life, adding: “In a democracy, any citizen is entitled to criticise a ruling of a court.

“However, the disapproval should not be addressed in a manner that encourages a culture of disrespect for the judiciary and, in any case, should never be directed at a judge personally but to the decision itself.”

The association also emphasised the “vital importance of the independence of judges in making decisions in a vibrant and plural democracy which promotes equality and diversity”.