Mary Faherty

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Mary Faherty
Judge of the Court of Appeal
Assumed office
4 November 2019
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Judge of the High Court
In office
30 October 2014 – 4 November 2019
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Judge of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal
In office
28 January 2011 – 30 June 2016
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byUnited Nations General Assembly
Judge of the Circuit Court
In office
21 June 2002 – 30 October 2014
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMary McAleese
Personal details
Born
Mary Faherty

(1960-01-16) 16 January 1960 (age 64)
Galway, Ireland
Alma mater

Mary Faherty (born 16 January 1960[1]) is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal since November 2019. She previously served as a Judge of the High Court, a Judge of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal from 2011 to 2016 and a Judge of the Circuit Court from 2002 to 2014.

She began her career as a barrister and served as the Chairperson of the Employment Appeals Tribunal. She was subsequently appointed to the bench of the Circuit Court and the Mahon Tribunal, before being elevated to the High Court. She was a member of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal between 2011 and 2016, serving as its president from 2013 to 2014.

Early career[edit]

Faherty was born in 1960. She first studied a BA in German and Legal Science at University College Galway, graduating in 1982, and spent the academic year between 1980 and 1981 undertaking German Studies at the University of Freiburg.[1] She subsequently obtained an LLB from UCG in 1984. The university awarded her its award for Law, Public Service and Government in 2006.[2] She attended the King's Inns and was called to the Bar in 1986.[3] She undertook further study at University College Dublin in arbitration.[1]

She became a Senior Counsel in 2001 and was also called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1996.[4]

She joined the Employment Appeals Tribunal in 1989 as a Vice Chairperson, becoming the chairperson in 1995.[1] She was reappointed in 1998 to serve a five-year term through to 2002.[5]

Judicial career[edit]

Circuit Court[edit]

Faherty was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2002. She became a judge in order to sit as a member of the Tribunal of Inquiry Into Certain Planning Matters and Payments. Her, Gerald Keys and Alan Mahon's appointments required the law to be changed to increase the number of Circuit Court judges.[6] In 2007, while serving on the Tribunal, she noted that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had provided "polar opposite" explanations of why he withdrew £50,000 from an account.[7] The final public sitting of the Tribunal was in December 2008.[8]

United Nations Appeals Tribunal[edit]

She joined the United Nations Appeals Tribunal in January 2011 and was Second Vice President between 2012 and 2013.[9] She subsequently served as the President of the Tribunal between July 2013 and June 2014.[3] She completed her term on the Tribunal in 2016.[9]

High Court[edit]

She was appointed to the High Court in October 2014.[10] She heard cases involving receivership,[11] damages claims,[12] actions under the Aarhus Convention,[13] and a challenge to the constitutionality of a Central Bank of Ireland inquiry.[14]

Court of Appeal[edit]

Following a change of legislation to increase the number of judges of the Court of Appeal, Faherty was nominated to be elevated to that court in 2019.[15] She was appointed in November 2019.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "UN General Assembly: Report of the Internal Justice Council". undocs.org. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  2. ^ "NUI Galway Alumni Awards announced". www.nuigalway.ie. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Appointments to the Court of Appeal". www.gov.ie. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Courts Service News" (PDF). Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. ^ Oliver, Emmet (6 February 1998). "Bank of Ireland appoints commercial finance director". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. ^ Cullen, Paul (20 February 2002). "Three barristers to join tribunal". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Account 'polar opposite' of earlier explanation". The Irish Times. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Timeline". The Irish Times. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b "UN Internal Justice System". www.un.org. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Annual Report 2014" (PDF). Judicial Appointments Advisory Board. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Receiver wants fashion outlet owners jailed". independent. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Cork man whose convictions were quashed brings 'unprecedented' action for damages". Breaking News. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Right to Know group take High Court action over access to cabinet papers on climate change". Breaking News. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Central Bank inquiry into INBS challenged". RTÉ News. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  15. ^ Quann, Jack. "Government agrees to appoint six new judges to Court of Appeal". Newstalk. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  16. ^ "President Appoints Judges To The Court Of Appeal". president.ie. Retrieved 12 May 2020.