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John MacMenamin
Judge of the Supreme Court
In office
15 March 2012 – 24 November 2022
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Judge of the High Court
In office
15 November 2004 – 15 March 2012
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMary McAleese
Personal details
Born (1952-11-25) 25 November 1952 (age 72)
Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland
Spouse
Lia O'Hegarty
​
(m. 2004)​
Children1
EducationTerenure College
Alma mater

John Eoin MacMenamin (born 25 November 1952) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 2012 to 2022 and a Judge of the High Court from 2004 to 2012.[1]

Early career

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MacMenamin was born in Dublin in 1952 and educated at Terenure College.[2][3] He studied history at University College Dublin, where he was involved with the UCD L&H.[4] He subsequently attended the King's Inns.[5] He was called to the Bar in 1975, and became a Senior Counsel in 1991.[1] He was a council member of the Free Legal Advice Centres while studying.[5] While working at a FLAC centre in Tallaght, he spoke to the mother of a young defendant who had not had representation and initiated contact with other lawyers on the matter which eventually led to the case State (Healy) v Donoghue.[4] The case established a constitutional right to legal aid in criminal cases.[6]

At the bar, he had a mixed practice, with an emphasis on administrative law, defamation and commercial law.[5][3] He represented the Sunday Independent in a libel case taken by Proinsias De Rossa and again in the first blasphemy case taken since the country's foundation in Corway v. Independent Newspapers.[7] He was a legal adviser to the Medical Council of Ireland and was involved in a long-running case involving neurosurgery at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.[5][8]

He appeared for several clients at the Mahon Tribunal and for the Department of Education at the Laffoy Commission.[5][9]

He was Chairman of the Bar Council from 1997 to 1999.[5] During his tenure, there was an increase in the fees paid to barristers taking part in the criminal legal aid scheme, following a dispute between the government and the barristers.[3] He was a member of the board of the VHI between 1995 and 1997.[5]

Judicial career

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High Court

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He was appointed a High Court judge in 2004 on the same day as future Supreme Court colleagues Frank Clarke and Elizabeth Dunne.[10][11] He presided primarily over judicial review and constitutional cases. He was a member of the Special Criminal Court from 2009.[5] Towards the end of his time at the High Court he was the Judge-in-Charge of the Minors' List, dealing with sensitive cases involving children.[12]

Supreme Court

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He was appointed to the Supreme Court in March 2012.[13]

In January 2020, he marched in Warsaw, Poland, with other senior judges from across Europe arising out of issues surrounding the 2015 Polish Constitutional Court crisis.[14] He carried letters of solidarity from the Association of Judges of Ireland.[15]

MacMenamin retired in November 2022.[2][16][17]

Personal life

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He married Lia O’Hegarty, a lawyer, in 2004, in Rome.[3][18] They have one daughter.[19]

He was formerly involved with Fine Gael, working as speechwriter for Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald and a lead adviser to Michael Noonan during the 2002 general election.[4][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Appointments to the Supreme Court". MerrionStreet.ie. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b Carolan, Mary (25 November 2022). "There 'cannot be one law for the rich and one law for others', says retiring Supreme Court judge". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Mr John MacMenamin SC". The Irish Times. 10 November 2004. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Mac Cormaic, Ruadhán (2016). The Supreme Court. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1844883400.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "2018 Supreme Court Annual Report" (PDF). Supreme Court. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  6. ^ State (Healy) v Donoghue, 1 I.R. 325 (Supreme Court of Ireland 1976).
  7. ^ Coulter, Carol (31 July 1999). "Court unable to state what blasphemy is". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  8. ^ Coulter, Carol (2 September 1997). "Chairman has long link with FG". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Third Interim Report" (PDF). childabusecommission.ie. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Iris Oifigiúil - 19 November 2004, No. 93, 1234" (PDF). Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Government announce new judge appointments". www.irishexaminer.com. 9 November 2004. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Supreme Court jobs go to former FG stalwarts". Irish Independent. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Diary President Appoints The Hon. Mr. Justice Frank Clarke". president.ie. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  14. ^ "EU judges join Polish colleagues to protest 'muzzle law'". France 24. 11 January 2020. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Irish judge to join march in Poland against legal 'threat' to judiciary". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Attorney General tells Supreme Court he is to step down". RTÉ News. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Legal Diary - Supreme Court". Courts.ie. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  18. ^ "IRISH FULBRIGHT NEWS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Fake News, Forgery and Dirty Tricks: the British Secret Service, Parnell and Ireland, 1885 to 1892". The Old Athlone Society. 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
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