High Court lacks judges to hear cases

The president of the High Court has said he is "hard-pressed" trying to manage the court list and get cases heard because he is still awaiting the appointment of seven new judges.

Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns told lawyers seeking hearing dates that an indication of just how hard-pressed he is was evident from the fact he was experiencing considerable difficulty in finding a judge to take the High Court bail list in Cloverhill this week.

“I cannot underline sufficiently just how unsatisfactory things are,” he said. Cabinet approval for the appointment of seven new judges is awaited following the departure to the new Court of Appeal of seven experienced High Court judges.