Irish Examiner view: New lay role in choosing our judiciary

The nod-and-a-wink appointment of Judge Séamus  Woulfe had bruising consequences, especially for Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.

Former politicians Shane Ross and Alan Shatter have an opportunity to establish a very exclusive club. Each offered legislation intended to modernise our legal system. Each was, for one reason or another, stonewalled. 

Mr Shatter’s Legal Services Regulation Bill, published in 2011, was a response to a 2010 memorandum of understanding with the EU and the International Monetary Fund. The objective was to facilitate independent regulation and to implement recommendations around transparency and competition made by the Competition Authority and the Legal Costs Working Group.