Anthony Collins (judge)

He was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1986 and became a Senior Counsel in 2003.^[4] His legal practice encompassed European Union law and administrative law.^[5]

His involvement with the Court of Justice of the European Communities began in 1990, where he served as référendaire to Irish judges Thomas F. O'Higgins and John L. Murray.^[3][5] He returned to practice in 1997.^[2]

He is the co-author of a legal text Civil Proceedings and the State and edited the Irish Journal of European Law between 1992 and 2001.^[6][7] Having been employed as its Director between 1997 and 2000, he became President of the Irish Centre of European Law in May 2022.^[8] He is also an adjunct professor of University College Cork and a bencher of the King's Inns.^[2]

Collins was nominated to the General Court of the European Union by the Government of Ireland in May 2013, replacing Kevin O'Higgins as the Irish judge on the court.^[5] He was reappointed on 1 September 2019 for a further six-year term.^[9] He was elected as President of the Eighth and Third Chambers of the General Court in 2016 and 2019 respectively.^[2]

In April 2021, Ireland's serving Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union Gerard Hogan was nominated to the Supreme Court of Ireland.^[10] The Government of Ireland put in place a panel of Paul Gallagher, former Advocate General Nial Fennelly and former Ambassador Marie Cross to nominate a person to serve the remainder of Hogan's term.^[3][11] His nomination was announced on 28 May 2021.^[3] The Member States, acting by common accord, appointed him as Advocate General in September 2021, to serve between 7 October 2021 and 6 October 2024.^[12]

Collins was nominated by Taoiseach Simon Harris's government as a judge of the Court of Appeal on the 31st of October 2024 and was appointed by President Michael D. Higgins on the 10th of December 2024.