James Aiden O'Brien Quinn, QC (3 January 1932 – 28 December 2018) was an Irish-born lawyer and expatriate judge. During his career, he served as a judge in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

the Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Biography

The son of William Patrick Quinn, Commissioner of the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

and Helen Mary (''née'' Walshe), O'Brien Quinn was educated at Presentation College, Bray and

University College, Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

, where he took a BA and LLB (Hons). From 1949 to 1953, he worked for the National City Bank, Dublin. Called to the

Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...

in 1957, he practiced at the Bar under a Colonial Office Scheme from 1958 to 1960, when he became Crown Counsel and Acting Senior Crown Counsel in

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...

. In 1964, he became Assistant Attorney-General and Acting Attorney-General of West Cameroon, and in 1966 he became Procureur Général for West Cameroon and Avocat Général of the Federal Republic of Cameroon. From 1968 to 1972 he was Conseiller of the Cour Fédérale de Justice, Judge of the West Cameroon Supreme Court, Conseiller Technique (Harmonisation des Lois), at the Ministère de la Justice, Yaoundé, and Président of the Tribunal Administratif du Cameroun Occidental. In 1967, he was called to the

English Bar Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecutio ...

by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. From 1972 to 1976, O'Brien Quinn was Attorney-General of the Seychelles and of the

British Indian Ocean Territory The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 ...

, becoming a Seychelles

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1973. He was also a member of the Legislative and Executive Councils, and of the Parliament of Seychelles, before and after independence. He was Acting Deputy Governor in 1975, a member of the official delegation on self-government in 1975, and on independence constitutions in 1976. From 1975 to 1976, he collaborated with Professor A. G. Chloros on the translation and updating of the Code Napoleon. He was Chief Justice of the Seychelles from 1976 to 1977, when he was expelled from the country during the

1977 Seychelles coup d'état The 1977 Seychelles coup d'état was a virtually bloodless coup that occurred in the East African and Indian Ocean country of Seychelles on 4–5 June 1977. Between 60–200 supporters of the Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP), who had been ...

. After he was expelled from the Seychelles, O'Brien Quinn became Chief Justice of the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati from 1979), serving from 1977 to 1981, where he set up a new courts system. He was a member of the Council of State from 1979 to 1981. He was also a Judge of the High Court of Solomon Islands from 1977 to 1979. In 1981, he served as special prosecutor in the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

. O'Brien Quinn became

Chief Justice of Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

in 1981, retiring in 1987. After briefly working as an investment adviser, he was in England an Adjudicator of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal from 1990 to 1993, vice-president of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal from 1996 to 2004, and Member of the

Special Immigration Appeals Commission The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (also known by the acronym SIAC) is a superior court of record in the United Kingdom established by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission Act 1997 that deals with appeals from persons deported by t ...

from 1998 to 2002. O'Brien Quinn was made a Chevalier of the Ordre de la Valeur of the Republic of Cameroon in 1967, and received the Kiribati Independence Medal in 1979.

Family

Quinn married Christel Tyner in 1960; they had two sons and a daughter.

References

* https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-31712 {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien Quinn, James Aiden 1932 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Irish judges I-Kiribati judges Irish Queen's Counsel Members of the Inner Temple 20th-century King's Counsel People educated at Presentation College, Bray Alumni of University College Dublin Colonial Service officers Nyasaland people Cameroonian judges Cameroonian lawyers Seychellois lawyers Expatriate judges on the courts of Seychelles British Indian Ocean Territory people Expatriate judges on the courts of the Solomon Islands Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom 20th-century English judges Chief justices of Seychelles British Seychelles judges British colonial people in Cameroon Irish colonial officials 21st-century English judges