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 | Ranelagh,Dublin,Ireland | 25 November 1952
Spouse | Lia O'Hegarty (m. 2004) |
Children | 1 |
Education | Terenure College |
Alma mater | |
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]