The Government has agreed on a process to find a new President of the High Court to replace Ms Justice Mary Irvine (pictured), who is due to retire in July.

A non-statutory advisory committee is to be set up to help identify eligible and qualified people – including serving judges – for the post.

It will consider their suitability, and make recommendations to the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee on preferred candidates.

The committee will comprise the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and a lay member, and will establish its own procedures for inviting and assessing expressions of interest from applicants.

New process

The Department of Justice says that this approach is like those used for appointments to a number of other senior posts – including the President of the High Court in 2020 – in recent years.

The procedures of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board (JAAB), set out in the Courts and Courts Officers Act 1995, do not apply to the appointment of the President of the High Court.

Under the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022, which is now before the Dáil, a new Judicial Appointments Commission will cover the nomination process for appointments to senior judicial positions – including the chief justice.