The Judicial Council
The Judicial Council
The Judicial Council was established pursuant to the Judicial Council Act, 2019 on the 17th December 2019. It is an independent body composed of all judges in Ireland. The functions of the Judicial Council are set out at section 7 of the 2019 Act.
The four main pillars of the Judicial Council’s remit are to achieve:
- excellence in the performance of judicial functions,
- high standards of conduct among Judges,
- an independent Judiciary, and
- public confidence in the judiciary and in the administration of justice.
The Board of the Judicial Council performs the Council’s functions on its behalf. It is made up of the Chief Justice and each of the four court Presidents; one judge elected by and from the judges of each of the five jurisdictions; and one additional judge co-opted by the Board.
Pursuant to the Judicial Council Act, 2019 a number of Committees have been established to deal with specific areas of work, including: the Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee, the Judicial Studies Committee, and the Sentencing Guidelines Committee.
The 2019 Act also provides for the establishment of Judicial Support Committees for each of the five jurisdictions. The functions of these Committees will be to advise and assist the Council in the performance of its functions regarding matters relevant to each jurisdiction.
More information regarding the Judicial Council can be found on its website under the following link: https://judicialcouncil.ie/about-the-judicial-council/