Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD has welcomed the passage of the\u00a0Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022\u00a0through its final stages in Seanad \u00c9ireann.<\/p>\n
The Bill, when enacted, will\u00a0lead to\u00a0the\u00a0biggest reform\u00a0in how judges are appointed\u00a0in a quarter of a century through the\u00a0establishment of a new Judicial Appointments Commission.<\/p>\n
The Commission will replace the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board (JAAB) and will recommend persons for appointment as judges by the President on the advice of the Government under the Constitution.<\/p>\n
It will also recommend persons for nomination by the Government to international courts outside the State.<\/p>\n
Minister McEntee said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis represents an important step forward in the reform of the judicial appointments process, as committed to in my Justice Plan 2023.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe recognised excellence of our judges and judiciary will be further enhanced by the provisions of this Bill, which introduces a new recommendation and appointments process and ensures that judicial selection is conducted in a modern, open and transparent way.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe new legislation will ensure that anyone who wishes to be considered for appointment to judicial office, including serving judges, will apply to the Commission and undergo the same application and interview processes.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cFurthermore, the establishment of a new, independent Judicial Appointments Commission will ensure that the selection of nominees for judicial office will be through fair and open competition from the widest range of possible candidates.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis Bill follows a substantial process of consultations, in particular with the Attorney General, the European Commission and the Chief Justice.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt also takes into account key aspects of a comprehensive pre-legislative scrutiny report prepared by an Oireachtas Committee.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Chief Justice will chair the Commission, which will comprise an equal number of lay members and judge members.<\/p>\n In addition, the Bill provides for the following:<\/p>\n Minister McEntee added:<\/p>\n The enactment of this legislation will enable the continued appointment of excellent judges, which are a cornerstone of a strong, independent judiciary<\/em><\/p>\n This independence is important in ensuring public confidence in the courts to uphold the law.<\/em><\/p>\n “I look forward to working with all members of the Houses of the Oireachtas to bring this legislation to enactment as soon as possible.”<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD has welcomed the passage of the\u00a0Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022\u00a0through its final stages in Seanad \u00c9ireann. The Bill, when enacted, will\u00a0lead to\u00a0the\u00a0biggest reform\u00a0in how judges are appointed\u00a0in a quarter of a century through the\u00a0establishment of a new Judicial Appointments Commission. The Commission will replace the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-3","description-off"],"yoast_head":"\n\n