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Failure to appoint new judges preventing hearing of "enormously important actions", senior judges say

Summary

The President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, and Mr Justice Seamus Noonan have warned that the failure to appoint new judges is preventing important cases from being heard. Mr Justice Kelly, when asked to assign an urgent family law matter to a judge who had made interim orders, could not comply because there were no additional judges to call upon. Mr Justice Noonan, who manages the judicial review and non‑jury list, told a packed courtroom that a dozen cases could not proceed because there were no judges available to hear "enormously important" and sometimes "life‑changing" actions. He explained that several judicial vacancies have remained unfilled after retirements and that other judges are occupied with commissions of inquiry. He said justice delayed is also justice denied and urged the situation to be addressed urgently. The remarks were made in separate courts on Thursday.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Failure to appoint new judges preventing hearing of "enormously important actions", senior judges say. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• 2017-04-06 Publication

Why: Mr Justice Noonan told a packed courtroom the dozen cases listed before him that day could not proceed because there were "no judges available" to hear "enormously important" and in some instances "life changing" actions. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

Read the original CNI report