JAAB Annual Report 2006
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Judicial Appointments Judicial Appointments Advisory Board Advisory Board Phoenix House, Annual Report 2006 15-24 Phoenix Street North, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 888 6228 Fax: +353 1 888 6470 Web: www.courts.ie 1 Judicial Appointments Advisory Board Annual Report 2006 2 Judicial Appointments Advisory Board 3 ANNUAL REPORT 2006 Contents 1. Introduction 7 2. Applications 13 2.1 BOARD MEETINGS 13 2.1.1 Meetings held to consider vacancies in the Supreme Court 13 2.1.2 Meetings held to consider vacancies in the High Court 14 2.1.3 Meetings held to consider vacancies in the Circuit Court 15 2.1.4 Meetings held to consider vacancies in the District Court 15 2.2 STATISTICS 17 3. Conclusions and 19 Recommendations 4. Appendices 23 i Rules / Procedures of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board 23 ii Numbers of valid applications considered at meetings of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board 1996-2006 26 4 JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ADVISORY BOARD The Hon. Mr. Justice The Hon. Mr. Justice The Hon. Mr. Justice Her Honour Judge John L. Murray Richard Johnson* Matthew Deery Miriam Malone Chairman of the Board President of the High Court President of the Circuit Court President of the District Court Rory Brady Turlough O’Donnell SC SC ** Attorney General Chairman of the Bar Council * The Hon. Mr. Justice Richard Johnson, President of the High Court, ** Turlough O’Donnell SC, Chairman of the Bar Council, became a became a member of the Board in December 2006. member of the Board in July 2006. Judicial Appointments Advisory Board 5 ANNUAL REPORT 2006 Mr. Laurence K. Shields Ms. Olive Braiden Mr. John Coyle Mr. Tadhg O’Donoghue Solicitor Nominee of the Minister Nominee of the Minister Nominee of the Minister Law Society Nominee for Justice, Equality for Justice, Equality for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Law Reform and Law Reform Brendan Ryan BL Secretary to the Board 6 Judicial Appointments Advisory Board 7 ANNUAL REPORT 2006 introduction The Judicial Appointments Advisory Board (hereafter N a practising solicitor who is nominated by the “the Board”) was established pursuant to the President for the time being of the Law Society of Courts and Court Officers Act, 1995 (hereafter Ireland; and “the Act”). The purpose of the Board is to identify N not more that three persons appointed by the persons and inform the Government of the suitability Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, of those persons for appointment to judicial office. (hereafter “the Minister”), which are persons engaged in or having knowledge or experience of The Board consists of (Section13): commerce, finance, administration, or persons N the Chief Justice; who have experience as consumers of the who is Chairperson of the Board; service provided by the courts that the Minister N the President of the High Court; considers appropriate. N the President of the Circuit Court; A person appointed to be a member of the Board N the President of the District Court; by virtue of a nomination by the Chairman of the Bar Council or by the President of the Law Society and N the Attorney General; persons appointed by the Minister are members of N a practising barrister who is nominated by the Board for a period not exceeding three years the Chairman for the time being of the Council and any such persons so appointed shall be eligible of the Bar of Ireland; for re-appointment to the Board. 8 The Act (Section 14) enables the Board to adopt outline on their application form why they consider such procedures as it thinks fit to carry out its themselves suitable for judicial office. functions and, in the exercise of that power, the Board has adopted rules and procedures which This Section goes on to provide that where a judicial are contained in Appendix i to this report. They also office stands vacant or before a vacancy in a judicial have power to appoint sub-committees to assist office arises, the Board, at the request of the them and may: Minister, is to submit to the Minister the names of all N advertise for applications for judicial appointment; persons who have informed the Board of his or her wish to be considered for appointment to that N require applicants to complete application forms; judicial office and the Board shall submit the names N consult persons concerning the suitability of of at least seven persons whom it recommends for applicants to the Board; appointment. The Board must also provide the Minister with particulars of education, professional N invite persons identified by the Board to submit their names for consideration by the Board; qualification, experience and character of the persons whom it recommends under this Section. N arrange for the interviewing of applicants who wish to be considered by the Board for Where fewer than seven persons inform the Board appointment to judicial office; and of their wish to be appointed to judicial office or N do such other things as the Board considers where the Board is unable to recommend to the necessary to enable it to discharge its functions Minister at least seven persons, the Board may under the Act. recommend to the Minster a lesser number of persons for appointment. The extent to which these powers have been availed of by the Board is considered in Section 3 Where more than one judicial office in the same of this report. court stands vacant or in advance of more than one vacancy arising in the same court, the Board shall Section 16 of the Act deals with the submission of recommend at least seven persons in respect of names to the Minister. A person who wishes to be each vacancy or such lesser number of names as considered for appointment to judicial office is the Minister specifies, following consultation required to so inform the Board in writing and to with the Board. provide the Board with such information as it may require to enable it to consider the suitability of that Section 16 of the Act goes on to require the person for judicial office, including information Government when advising the President in relation relating to education, professional qualifications, to the appointment of a person to a judicial office to experience and character. To assist the Board in this first consider persons who have been recommended regard the applicants are required to complete a by the Board. When a person is appointed on a detailed application form which includes questions recommendation by the Board, notice of that fact on their practice, their professional qualifications, shall be published in Iris Oifigiúil. education, character, etc., and are also required to Judicial Appointments Advisory Board 9 ANNUAL REPORT 2006 The Board shall not submit or recommend the name Section 19 of the Act requires a person who wishes of a person unless that person meets the eligibility to be considered for appointment to judicial office requirements laid down by statute. Further, the to undertake in writing to the Board his or her Board shall not recommend the name of any agreement, if appointed to judicial office, to take person unless in the opinion of the Board the person such course or courses of training or education, or concerned: both, as may be required by the Chief Justice or N has displayed in his/her practice as a barrister or the President of the Court to which the person solicitor, as the case may be, a degree of concerned is appointed. competence and a degree of probity appropriate to and consistent with the appointment Under Section 23 of the Act, where the concerned; Government proposes to advise the President of an appointment to the office of Chief Justice or N is suitable on grounds of character and President of the High Court, President of the Circuit temperament; Court or President of the District Court, it is N is otherwise suitable; and required first to have regard to the qualifications N complies with the requirements of Section 19 and suitability of persons who are serving at that of the Act. time as judges in courts established in pursuance of Article 34 of the Constitution. Having received the advice of counsel, the Board There have been some amendments to the interprets these requirements as a minimum procedures followed by the Board since 1995: standard. A person must have these qualities to be a. The Standards in Public Office Act, 2001 recommended, but having these qualities is in itself requires applicants to certify that their tax affairs not sufficient for a person to be recommended. are in order. Section 22 (1) prohibits the Board from recommending a person for judicial office Under Section 17 of the Act (as amended), the unless the person has furnished to the Board: procedures set out above do not apply where the (I) a tax clearance certificate that was issued Government proposes to advise the President to to the person not more than eighteen appoint to judicial office a person who is for the time months before the date of the being a Judge of the High Court, Circuit Court, recommendation, and District Court or who is eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court or the High Court under the (II) a statutory declaration made by the person provisions of Section 5 of the Courts (Supplemental not more than one month before that date to Provisions) Act, 1961, as amended. the effect that, at the time of the making of the declaration, the person is, to the best of his or Section 18 of the Act provides that the Board shall her knowledge and belief, in compliance with not recommend its own members for appointment, the obligations specified in subsection (1) of with the exception of the Attorney General who section 25 and that nothing in subsection (2) must withdraw from any deliberations of the Board of that section prevents the issue to him concerning his or her suitability for judicial office.