The country’s judiciary claimed more than €1m in expenses for the first six months of this year.

A bill allowing judges to set guidelines for payouts in personal injuries cases has been passed.

Legislation allowing judges set guidelines on personal injury awards in line with other countries should be in place by the summer, the minister in charge of insurance policy says.

Judges are free to cherry-pick which charities receive millions of euro every year as the Government drags its feet on abolishing the court poor box.

New figures released by the Courts Service show that Judge Cormac Dunne received the highest expense payments of any judge in 2018.

Two judges in the same court in the same week have referred to the lack of district court judges, with one stating the situation was now “critical”.

The Government will be appointing judges in the coming weeks, despite anger from Independent Transport Minister Shane Ross, according to Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.

Irish judges are expected to get guidelines on the treatment of social media in trials in the next three months.

Shane Ross is confident new laws to change how judges are appointed will be passed before the summer despite being dubbed "a dog's dinner" by the Attorney General.

Specialist judges or a dedicated tribunal must first grant authorisation to any request from a state agency to access the communication data of people, says the Murray report.

From the backstreets of Walkinstown to the top legal bench in the land, the journey of new Chief Justice Frank Clarke has been a remarkable one.

Judges told the Government some of their members were “struggling to get by” despite their six-figure salaries as they raised concerns over getting their pay restored.

Judges’ misgivings about the Government’s Judicial Appointments Bill are “misplaced”, the Dáil heard last night.

IN a landmark case in 1982, the Supreme Court Judge Seamus Henchy spoke about “The bitter Irish race-memory of politically appointed and Executive-oriented judges”. 

Many unsuitable people will be appointed judges if the Government pushes through controversial legislation, the Dáil has heard.

The Government plans to drive through legislation for the new judicial appointments system and does not expect to make any amendments despite calls for changes from top judges and opposition parties.

The Taoiseach has been forced to defend controversial proposed changes to how judges are appointed — claiming they follow best international practice.

Judges are determined to protect the current system of who promotes their peers, while the Fine Gael and Independent Alliance government says reforms will herald a modern system of who is appointed to the bench.

The Government is to press ahead with controversial reforms of the judicial appointments system despite an unprecedented warning from the country’s top judges that the move will have “serious implications for the administration of justice”.

Former justice minister Michael McDowell has attacked Transport Minister Shane Ross, claiming his desire to reform how judges are appointed stems from a “personal agenda”.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned two of Ireland’s most senior judges that they must respect the independence of Government to perform its duties, insisting separation of powers between the groups works both ways.

The Government is set to finally approve legislation which will radically overhaul the manner in which judges are appointed.

Planned legislation overhauling the judicial appointments’ process is “wrong in principle”.

Transport minister Shane Ross is refusing to allow a cabinet of politicians to have the final say on how judges are chosen.

A district court judge told a court yesterday he was “absolutely appalled” that gardaí reached agreement for bail for a man who had committed 18 offences while on bail previously.

All around the world, institutions that once enjoyed respect, if not trust, struggle to sustain the support they once took for granted. 

Reforms to the way in which judges are appointed look set to be passed by the Dáil after Sinn Féin confirmed it will back the plans when they are put to a vote.

Transport Minister Shane Ross has been left “outraged” and “deeply uneasy” about continuing in Government following a blazing row with Taoiseach Enda Kenny at Cabinet.

Minister for Transport Shane Ross would do well to acknowledge the transport crisis and leave the judiciary well enough alone, writes Gerard Howlin.