Finnegan nominated to the Supreme Court

THE President of the High Court Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan was last night nominated by the Government as a member of the Supreme Court.

Mr Justice Finnegan will replace Mr Justice Brian McCracken, who retired from the eight-member court earlier this year. Another Supreme Court member, Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness has also recently retired.

Born in 1942, Mr Justice Finnegan, a Dubliner, practiced as a solicitor for 12 years before becoming a barrister in 1978. One of his more prominent roles as a barrister was representing former Fianna Fáil minister Ray Burke at the Planning Tribunal.

As President of the High Court, Mr Justice Finnegan was an ex officio member of the Supreme Court. Last year, he presided over the proceedings that led to the so-called Rossport Five spending over 90 days in jail for contempt of court.

In all, the Government made seven judicial appointments yesterday. Mr Justice Richard Johnson, a member of the Special Criminal Court, will replace Mr Justice Finnegan as High Court President.

Two new judges were also appointed to the high court. They are the high-profile criminal lawyer Peter Charleton SC, the senior member of the Morris Tribunal’s legal team; and Judge Maureen Harding Clark, who has been a judge of the International Criminal Court since 2003.

Three new judges have been appointed to the District Court. They are, Patrick McMahon, the managing partner of Eamon Greene & Co solicitors in Ballsbridge; barrister Dympna Cusack, who is vice-chair of the Employment Appeals Tribunal; and barrister Desmond Zaidan, a member of the bar in Ireland and Sierra Leone, and who is also a specialist in criminal law.