Judicial Appointments

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

Ireland's former chief justice Frank Clarke has resigned as a judge of the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) Courts and former High Court president Peter Kelly has been urged to follow suit in light of a row over the UAE's record on human rights. The two retired judges were sworn in last wee

Ireland's former chief justice Frank Clarke and former High Court president Peter Kelly have been sworn in as judges of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts. The virtual swearing-in ceremony was held in the presence of Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler

Tributes have been paid to Ms Justice Mary Irvine on the occasion of her retirement as president of the High Court. Attorney General Paul Gallagher SC, Bar Council chairperson Maura McNally SC and Law Society president Michelle Ní Longáin were among those who spoke during the judge's f

Ministers have agreed to nominate barrister John Martin for appointment as a Circuit Court judge and solicitor Vincent Deane as a District Court judge. The Circuit Court vacancy arises following the retirement of Judge Petria McDonnell last month, while the vacancy on the District Court will arise f

Legal academic Dr Patrick O'Brien examines the long-running saga over judicial appointments reform in Ireland. Judicial appointments in Ireland are shortly due to be put on a more formal footing. When the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022 is enacted, it will provide for an appointments comm