Michael White (born 1953) is an Irish judge who served as a judge of the High Court between 2011 and 2021 and a judge of the Circuit Court between 1996 and 2011. He was formerly a politician and solicitor and was one of the first solicitors to be appointed the Irish judiciary.

Early career

White was born in

Carndonagh Carndonagh (; ) is a town on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, close to Trawbreaga Bay. It is the site of the Donagh Cross (or St. Patrick's Cross), believed to date to the 7th century. The Irish name, ''Carn Domhnach'', means ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. His father Michael was a solicitor. He attended St Patrick's Boys' National School, Carndonagh Boys Secondary School and

Gormanston College Franciscan College Gormanston is a school operated and managed by the Irish province of the Order of the Friars Minor. The college operates under the trusteeship of the Minister Provincial and Definitory of the Franciscan Province of Ireland. ...

. He graduated with a degree in law from

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 ...

in 1973 and qualified as a solicitor in 1975. He engaged in socialist activism during his time in university and joined the

Workers' Party of Ireland The Workers' Party ( ga, Páirtí na nOibrithe) is a Marxist–Leninist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It arose as the original Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, but took ...

. He contested three general elections and one by-election in the Dublin Central constituency between 1981 and 1983 for the Workers' Party. He set up a law firm with Pat McCartan and Paula Scully in 1976, before setting up his own practice in 1987. He later specialised in

family law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage, ...

and

labour law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

. He represented future

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Taoi ...

Eamon Gilmore Eamonn or Éamon or Eamon may refer to: * Eamonn (given name), an Irish male given name * Eamon (singer) (born 1983), American R&B singer-songwriter and harmonicist * ''Eamon'' (video game), a 1980 computer role-playing game for the Apple II *"Éam ...

in a land dispute during his career as a solicitor.

Judicial career

He was appointed to the Circuit Court in 1996, one of the first three solicitors to be appointed to a judicial position. In the Circuit Court he sentenced

George Redmond George Redmond (c. 1924 – 17 February 2016) was an Irish Assistant City and County Manager until his retirement on 23 June 1989 at the age of 65. He spent his entire career working for the Dublin local authorities commencing as a clerk in Dublin ...

following findings by the Flood Tribunal. He presided over the trial surrounding the

death of Brian Murphy In the early hours of 31 August 2000, Brian Murphy, an 18-year-old student, was attacked by a large group of young men outside the Club Anabel nightclub at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, Ireland. He died shortly after the attack. The subsequent ...

, which influenced the fictional novel '' Bad Day in Blackrock'' and its film adaptation ''

What Richard Did ''What Richard Did'' is a 2012 Irish film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Malcolm Campbell. The film is loosely based on Kevin Power's '' Bad Day in Blackrock'', a 2008 novel inspired by the real-life death of Brian Murphy in 2000. I ...

''. He was appointed to the High Court through application to the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board in October 2011. He is the chair of the Hammond Lane Project Board for the development of a new courthouse in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. He publicly criticised the procedures and administration of the Irish family law courts in 2018. White was the Judge in Charge of the Central Criminal Court. In February 2021 he was appointed as the inaugural chairperson of the Parole Board and in June 2021 and took over as the chairperson of a Commission of Investigation into allegations of sexual abuse made against Bill Kenneally. He retired as a High Court judge on 1 October 2021.

Personal life

White lives in Dublin. He married Maud McKee in 1982, a doctor originally from

Portballintrae Portballintrae () is a small seaside village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is four miles east of Portrush and two miles west of the Giant's Causeway. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 734 people, a decline of 10% compared to 19 ...

, with whom he had four sons. Dr. McKee died in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Michael Living people High Court judges (Ireland) Alumni of University College Dublin People from County Donegal 1953 births Circuit Court (Ireland) judges Workers' Party of Ireland politicians