John MacMenamin
Irish judge (born 1952)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Eoin MacMenamin (born 25 November 1952) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 2012 to 2022 and a Judge of the High Court from 2004 to 2012.[1]
John MacMenamin | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Supreme Court | |
| In office 15 March 2012 – 24 November 2022 | |
| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Michael D. Higgins |
| Judge of the High Court | |
| In office 15 November 2004 – 15 March 2012 | |
| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Mary McAleese |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 November 1952 |
| Spouse |
Lia O'Hegarty (m. 2004) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
Early career
MacMenamin was born in Dublin in 1952 and educated at Terenure College.[2][3] He studied history at University College Dublin, where he was involved with the UCD L&H.[4] He subsequently attended the King's Inns.[5] He was called to the Bar in 1975, and became a Senior Counsel in 1991.[1] He was a council member of the Free Legal Advice Centres while studying.[5] While working at a FLAC centre in Tallaght, he spoke to the mother of a young defendant who had not had representation and initiated contact with other lawyers on the matter which eventually led to the case State (Healy) v Donoghue.[4] The case established a constitutional right to legal aid in criminal cases.[6]
At the bar, he had a mixed practice, with an emphasis on administrative law, defamation and commercial law.[5][3] He represented the Sunday Independent in a libel case taken by Proinsias De Rossa and again in the first blasphemy case taken since the country's foundation in Corway v. Independent Newspapers.[7] He was a legal adviser to the Medical Council of Ireland and was involved in a long-running case involving neurosurgery at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.[5][8]
He appeared for several clients at the Mahon Tribunal and for the Department of Education at the Laffoy Commission.[5][9]
He was Chairman of the Bar Council from 1997 to 1999.[5] During his tenure, there was an increase in the fees paid to barristers taking part in the criminal legal aid scheme, following a dispute between the government and the barristers.[3] He was a member of the board of the VHI between 1995 and 1997.[5]
Judicial career
High Court
He was appointed a High Court judge in 2004 on the same day as future Supreme Court colleagues Frank Clarke and Elizabeth Dunne.[10][11] He presided primarily over judicial review and constitutional cases. He was a member of the Special Criminal Court from 2009.[5] Towards the end of his time at the High Court he was the Judge-in-Charge of the Minors' List, dealing with sensitive cases involving children.[12]
Supreme Court
He was appointed to the Supreme Court in March 2012.[13]
In January 2020, he marched in Warsaw, Poland, with other senior judges from across Europe arising out of issues surrounding the 2015 Polish Constitutional Court crisis.[14] He carried letters of solidarity from the Association of Judges of Ireland.[15]
Personal life
He married Lia O’Hegarty, a lawyer, in 2004, in Rome.[3][18] They have one daughter.[19]
He was formerly involved with Fine Gael, working as speechwriter for Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald and a lead adviser to Michael Noonan during the 2002 general election.[4][12]