Promised judicial posts still unfilled

THE Minister for Justice, Ms Owen, has made no move to fill the 18 extra judicial posts provided for in the Court and Court Officers Act, which was rushed through the Dail before Christmas.

As the new law term opens today it is understood that the delay in nominating the three ministerial lay persons to the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board is holding up the nomination of an extra three Supreme Court, three High Court, seven Circuit Court and five District Court judges.

The Government informed Mr Justice Donal Barrington of his appointment to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy arising from the retirement of Mr Justice Seamus Egan within days of the enactment of the new legislation on December 15th. Senior judicial and legal sources had hoped that the extra judicial posts to alleviate the delays in the legal system would be filled by today.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said yesterday that the Minister would be making three lay appointments to the appointments board "soon". Government sources confirmed that a memorandum had not been circulated to the Cabinet yet on the new appointments, which are expected to be made within the first half of the year.

The three new Supreme Court judges would enable the court to sit in two divisions for the first time.

While the Government has not yet considered the biggest tranche of judicial appointments to be made for years, speculation is rife about the candidates for promotion. They include Mr Peter Shanley SC, Mr James O'Driscoll SC, Mr Paddy MacEntee SC and Miss Justice Mella Carroll.

It is widely expected that the Government will seek to appoint a second woman to the enlarged Supreme Court when the appointments are made.