The Lord Chief Justice of
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
is a judge who is the appointed official holding office as President of the Courts of Northern Ireland and is head of the
Judiciary of Northern Ireland. The present Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is Dame
Siobhan Keegan. Her counterpart in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is En ...
is the
Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ...
, and in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
her equivalent is the
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General is the most senior judge in Scotland, the head of the judiciary, and the presiding judge of the College of Justice, the Court of Session, and the High Court of Justiciary. The L ...
. The position was established with the creation of Northern Ireland in 1922, and was preceded by the position of
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...
prior to the
partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland ( ga, críochdheighilt na hÉireann) was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. ...
.
Background
The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland holds the office of President of the courts of Northern Ireland and is head of the judiciary of Northern Ireland.
The Lord Chief Justice is responsible for representing the views of the judiciary of Northern Ireland to government, for the maintenance of appropriate arrangements for the welfare, training and guidance of the judiciary of Northern Ireland, and for the maintenance of appropriate arrangements for the deployment of the judiciary of Northern Ireland and the allocation of work within courts.
The Lord Chief Justice is president of the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Crown Court, the county courts and the magistrates' courts of Northern Ireland.
The Lord Chief Justice is entitled to sit on any of those courts, but routinely sits on the Court of Appeal.
[Justice (Northern Ireland) Act, 2002, section 12]
Lord chief justices of Northern Ireland
*
The Rt Hon. Sir Denis Henry, Bt, (1922–1925)
*
The Rt Hon. Sir William Moore, Bt (1925–1937)
*
The Rt Hon. Sir James Andrews, Bt (1937–1951)
*
The Rt Hon. The Lord MacDermott (1951–1971)
*
Major The Rt Hon. The Lord Lowry (1971–1989)
*
The Rt Hon. Sir Brian Hutton (1989–1997)
*
The Rt Hon. Sir Robert Carswell (1997–2004)
*
The Rt Hon. Sir Brian Kerr (2004–2009)
*
The Rt Hon. Sir Declan Morgan (2009–2021)
*
The Rt Hon. Dame Siobhan Keegan (2021-)
See also
*
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...
*
Lord Chief Justice of Southern Ireland
Sir Thomas Francis Molony, 1st Baronet, PC(Ire), KC (1865–1949) was the last Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was also the only Judge to hold the position of Lord Chief Justice of Southern Ireland although he did not hold that position unde ...
*
Chief Justice of Ireland
The Chief Justice of Ireland ( ga, Príomh-Bhreitheamh na hÉireann) is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. The chief justice is the highest judicial office and most senior judge in Ireland. The role includes constitutional and admini ...
*
List of Lords Justices of Appeal of Northern Ireland
*
List of High Court Judges of Northern Ireland
References
Sources
* N.C. Fleming and Alan O'Day, ''The Longman Handbook of Modern Irish History since 1800'', N.C. Fleming and Alan O'Day, p. 420;
{{Chief Justices of British overseas territories
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
Law of Northern Ireland
Bar of Northern Ireland
*
Lord Chief Justice
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
Northern Ireland law-related lists
Judiciary of Northern Ireland