Iseult Pauline Mary O'Malley (born 30 June 1964) is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the

Supreme Court of Ireland The Supreme Court of Ireland () is the highest judicial authority in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a court of final appeal and exercises, in conjunction with the Court of Appeal (Ireland), Court of Appeal and the High Court (Ireland), Hig ...

since October 2015. She previously served as a Judge of the High Court from 2012 to 2015.

Early life

O'Malley was born in 1964 to Una O'Higgins O'Malley, a writer, and Eoin O'Malley, a heart surgeon. She is a granddaughter of

Kevin O'Higgins Kevin Christopher O'Higgins (; 7 June 1892 – 10 July 1927) was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Justice from 1922 to 1927, Minister for External Affairs from June 1927 to July 1927 a ...

, the

Minister for Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

who was assassinated in 1927. She has five brothers, including

Chris O'Malley Christopher Gerard O'Malley (born 9 June 1959) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 1986 to 1989. In January 1986, he was nominated to the European Parl ...

. She was educated at

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

and

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...

. She was the individual runner-up of the Irish Times Debate in 1982 and debated in the final of the Observer Mace in 1985 with

David Keane David or Dave Keane may refer to: * David Keane (judge) (born 1964), Irish judge * David Keane (politician), English politician * Dave Keane (born 1956), Irish hurler See also * David McKean (disambiguation) {{hndis, Keane, David ...

Legal career

She was called to the Bar in 1987, and became a Senior Counsel in 2007. She practised mainly in criminal law. She was Director and Chair of the Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) from 1985 to 2012. During her time as chairperson, the organisation campaigned for the introduction of civil legal aid. She won a Person of the Year Award in 2004 for her work with FLAC. She also chaired the Refugee Agency between 1993 and 1996. She was a member of the Employment Appeals Tribunal between 1995 and 1998 and concurrently served on the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal. She was appointed a

Bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...

of the King's Inns in 2012.

Judicial career

She was appointed as a Judge of the High Court in 2012. She was nominated to the Supreme Court in July 2015 and was appointed by the

President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...

on 1 October 2015. She made the Declaration required by the Constitution of a Justice of the Supreme Court on 6 October 2015. She has delivered opinions for the court in final appeals involving criminal law, contract law, EU law, ward of court, and judicial review.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omalley, Iseult 1964 births 20th-century Irish lawyers 21st-century Irish judges 21st-century Irish women lawyers Alumni of King's Inns Alumni of Trinity College Dublin High Court judges (Ireland) Irish Senior Counsel Irish women judges Judges of the Supreme Court of Ireland Lawyers from County Dublin Living people People from Dalkey