The establishment of a new Court of Appeal marks the "most important development" in the structure of the courts since the foundation of the State, the Chief Justice said yesterday.

High on the list of qualities people expect of judges are fairness and balance in measuring out justice, a large dose of common sense in the verdicts they hand down, and a level playing field in their appointment.

The chief justice has called for a radical overhauling of the way in which judges are appointed, warning that “political allegiance should have no bearing on appointments.”