Written answers
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
Judicial Appointments
9:00 pm
Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 482: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the persons appointed to the District Court, Circuit Court, High Court and Supreme Court each year since 1995 to date in 2008; if he will differentiate between those appointed on foot of a Judicial Appointments Advisory Board recommendation and those appointed directly by the Government outside of the JAAB process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8883/08]
Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The persons appointed to the District Court, Circuit Court, High Court and Supreme Court each year since 1995 to date in 2008 are as follows:
1995
Supreme Court
No appointments
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Brian McCracken
The Hon. Ms. Justice Mary Laffoy
Circuit Court
His Hon. Judge Sean O'Leary
District Court
Judge John O'Neill
Judge Michael O'Leary
Judge David Riordan
1996
Supreme Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Donal Barrington *
The Hon. Mr. Justice Kevin Lynch *
The Hon. Mr. Justice Francis Murphy *
The Hon. Mr. Justice Ronan Keane *
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Michael Moriarty *
The Hon. Mr. Justice Peter Shanley
The Hon. Mr. Justice Peter Kelly
The Hon. Mr. Justice Thomas Smyth
The Hon. Mr. Justice Diarmuid O'Donovan
The Hon. Ms. Justice Catherine McGuinness *
Circuit Court
His Hon. Judge Kevin Haugh
Her Hon. Judge Alison Lindsay
His Hon. Judge Raymond Groarke
His Hon. Judge Frank O'Donnell
His Hon. Judge Michael White
Her Hon. Judge Elizabeth Dunne
His Hon. Judge John Buckley
His Hon. Judge Anthony Kennedy
Her Hon. Judge Olive Buttimer
District Court
Judge Constantine O'Leary
Judge Catherine Murphy
Judge Mary Collins
1997
Supreme Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Henry Barron *
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Phillip O'Sullivan
The Hon. Mr. Justice John Quirke
The Hon. Mr. Justice Kevin O'Higgins *
Circuit Court
His Hon. Judge Joseph Matthews
His Hon. Judge Patrick McCartan
Her Hon. Judge Jacqueline Linnane
His Hon. Judge Carroll Moran
District Court
Judge Miriam Malone
Judge John O'Donnell
1998
Supreme Court
No appointments
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Matthew Smith *
The Hon. Ms. Justice Fidelma Macken
The Hon. Mr. Justice Nicholas Kearns *
Circuit Court
Her Hon. Judge Yvonne Murphy
His Hon. Judge John O'Hagan
His Hon. Judge John Clifford *
District Court
Judge James Scally
Judge Mary Devins
Judge Thomas O'Donnell
Judge James O'Connor
Judge David Anderson
1999
Supreme Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice John Murray *
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill
The Hon. Mr. Justice Joseph Finnegan
The Hon. Mr. Justice Aindrias O'Caoimh
Circuit Court
His Hon. Judge Bryan McMahon
District Court
Judge Sean MacBride
Judge Patrick Brady
Judge Leo Malone
Judge Timothy Lucey
2000
Supreme Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Adrian Hardiman
The Hon. Mr. Justice Hugh Geoghegan *
The Hon. Mr. Justice Niall Fennelly
The Hon. Ms. Justice Catherine McGuinness *
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Roderick Murphy
The Hon. Mr. Justice Daniel Herbert
The Hon. Mr. Justice Paul Butler
The Hon. Mr. Justice Liam McKechnie
Circuit Court
His Hon. Judge Desmond Hogan *
District Court
Judge David Maughan
Judge Gerard Furlong
2001
Supreme Court
No appointments
High Court
No appointments
Circuit Court
His Hon. Judge Michael O'Shea
His Hon. Judge Sean O'Donovan
His Hon. Judge Brian Curtin
Her Hon. Judge Katherine Delahunt
District Court
Judge James McNulty
Judge Conal Gibbons
Judge Bridget Reilly
2002
Supreme Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Brian McCracken *
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Henry Abbot
The Hon. Mr. Justice Eamon de Valera
The Hon. Ms. Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan
The Hon. Mr. Justice Michael Peart
The Hon. Mr. Justice Barry White
Circuit Court
Her Hon. Judge Mary Faherty
His Hon. Judge Alan Mahon
His Hon. Judge Gerald Keys
Her Hon. Judge Patricia Ryan
Her Hon. Judge Miriam Reynolds Buckley
His Hon. Judge James O'Donohoe
District Court
Judge Geoffrey Browne
Judge Bryan Smyth
Judge Anne Watkin
Judge Cormac Dunne
Judge John Coughlan
2003
Supreme Court
No appointments
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Paul Gilligan
The Hon. Mr. Justice Sean Ryan
The Hon. Mr. Justice Sean O'Leary *
Circuit Court
No appointments
District Court
Judge Angela Condon
2004
Supreme Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Nicholas Kearns *
High Court
The Hon. Ms. Justice Fidelma Macken * (re-appointed after service on European Court of Justice)
The Hon. Mr. Justice Michael Hanna
The Hon. Mr. Justice John MacMenamin
The Hon. Mr. Justice Frank Clarke
The Hon. Ms. Justice Elizabeth Dunne *
Circuit Court
Her Hon. Judge Alice Doyle
Her Hon. Judge Doirbhile Flanagan
His Hon. Judge Donagh McDonagh
His Hon. Judge Cornelius Murphy
His Hon. Judge Terence O'Sullivan
District Court
Judge Hugh O'Donnell
Judge Ann Ryan
2005
Supreme Court
The Hon. Ms. Justice Fidelma Macken *
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Kevin Haugh *
Circuit Court
No appointments
District Court
Judge Patrick Clyne
Judge Derek McVeigh
Judge Brian Sheridan
Judge Aeneas McCarthy
2006
Supreme Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Joseph Finnegan *
(previously ex-officio member as President of the High Court)
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice Kevin Feeney
The Hon. Mr. Justice Brian McGovern
The Hon. Mr. Justice Peter Charleton
The Hon. Ms. Justice Maureen Harding Clark
Circuit Court
His Hon. Judge Tom Teehan
District Court
Judge Dympna Cusack
Judge Patrick McMahon
Judge Desmond Zaidan
2007
Supreme Court
No appointments
High Court
The Hon. Mr. Justice John Hedigan *
The Hon. Mr. Justice Bryan McMahon *
The Hon. Mr. Justice George Birmingham
The Hon. Mr. Justice John Edwards
The Hon. Ms. Justice Mary Irvine
The Hon. Mr. Justice Patrick McCarthy
The Hon. Mr. Justice Garrett Sheehan
Circuit Court
His Hon. Judge Tony Hunt
His Hon. Judge Rory McCabe
His Hon. Judge Martin Nolan
His Hon. Judge Gerard Griffin
Her Hon. Judge Petria McDonnell
His Hon. Judge Raymond Fullam
District Court
Judge Anthony Halpin
Judge John Lindsay
Judge Eamon O'Brien
Judge David McHugh
Judge Elizabeth MacGrath
Judge Denis McLoughlin
While the ultimate decision as to who should be recommended to the President for appointment to judicial office rests with the Government, the Government's practice has been, since the establishment of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board (JAAB), to recommend only persons who have been recommended as suitable for appointment to judicial office by the JAAB. The Act requires that where appointments are made on a recommendation of the Board notice of that fact shall be published in Iris Oifigiúil.
The provisions of section 16 of the Courts and Court Officers Act 1995 — dealing with the submission of names to the Minister by the JAAB — do not apply where the Government proposes to advise the President to appoint to judicial office a person who is already a judge of the High Court, Circuit Court, District Court or who is eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court or the High Court by virtue of their membership of a specified international court. Persons so appointed are indicated by an asterisk (*) in the above list. The appointment of a judge of the High Court as Chairperson of the Commission to inquire into Child Abuse was on the basis directly of a nomination by the Government.
Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 483: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the judges who have been promoted from one court to another in each year since 1995 to date in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8884/08]
Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following tables:
| Appointments to the Supreme Court from the High Court | |
| Name | Year |
| Ronan Keane | 1996 |
| Francis Murphy | 1996 |
| Kevin Lynch | 1996 |
| Henry Barron | 1997 |
| Catherine McGuinness | 2000 |
| Hugh Geoghegan | 2000 |
| Brian McCracken | 2002 |
| Nicholas Kearns | 2004 |
| Fidelma Macken | 2005 |
| Joseph Finnegan | 2006 |
| Appointments to the High Court from the Circuit Court | |
| Name | Year |
| Michael Moriarty | 1996 |
| Catherine McGuinness | 1996 |
| Kevin C. O'Higgins | 1997 |
| Matthew P. Smith | 1998 |
| Nicholas Kearns | 1998 |
| Sean O'Leary | 2003 |
| Elizabeth Dunne | 2004 |
| Kevin Haugh | 2005 |
| Bryan McMahon | 2007 |
| Appointments to the Circuit Court from the District Court | |
| Name | Year |
| John Clifford | 1998 |
| Desmond Hogan | 2000 |
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