RTÉ Brainstorm – What Irish judges should be taught before they go on the bench

March 28, 2022

Whitaker Institute member Dr Rónán Kennedy, leader of the Technology and Governance cluster, has co-authored a new article for RTÉ Brainstorm. The piece looks at what Irish judges should be taught before they go on the bench.

What Irish judges should be taught before they go on the bench

Presidents Patricia Ryan (Circuit Court), George Birmingham (Court of Appeal), Frank Clarke (Chief Justice), Peter Kelly (High Court) and Colin Daly (District Court) at the first meeting of the Judicial Council in February 2020. Photo: Rolling News

Opinion: we require judges with the skills and training to deal with complex litigation in a timely fashion to ensure our rights are protected

By Rónán Kennedy, NUI Galway and Laura Cahillane, University of Limerick

The announcement by Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, that all judges seeking promotion to higher courts and lawyers seeking elevation to the bench will have to complete special training is very welcome. However, it illustrates how far Ireland has to go to bring its systems for training and appointing judges in line with international best practice. Continue reading…