Susan Denham
Susan Jane Denham[1] SC (née Gageby; born 7 May 1945[2]) is a retired Irish judge who served as Chief Justice of Ireland from 2011 to 2017, she was the first woman to hold the position. She served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1992 to 2017, and was the longest-serving member of the court on her retirement. She also served as a Judge of the High Court from 1991 to 1992.[3][4]
Susan Denham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 11th Chief Justice of Ireland | |
| In office 25 July 2011 – 28 July 2017 | |
| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Mary McAleese |
| Preceded by | John L. Murray |
| Succeeded by | Frank Clarke |
| Judge of the Supreme Court | |
| In office 1 May 1992 – 28 July 2017 | |
| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Mary Robinson |
| Judge of the High Court | |
| In office 11 July 1991 – 1 May 1992 | |
| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Mary Robinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Susan Jane Gageby 7 May 1945 Sandymount, Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Spouse(s) | Brian Denham (m. 1992) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Alexandra College |
| Alma mater |
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Early and personal life
Susan Gageby was born in Dublin in 1945 and educated at Alexandra College, Dublin. She is the daughter of the former editor of The Irish Times, Douglas Gageby, the sister of another barrister Patrick Gageby and maternal granddaughter of Seán Lester. She is from a Church of Ireland background.[5]
She attended Trinity College, Dublin, the King's Inns, and the Law School of Columbia University, New York City (LL.M. 1972).[6][7] She is married to paediatrician Dr Brian Denham and they have four children. From 1996 to 2010, Denham was a Pro-Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin.
Legal career
She was called to the bar in July 1971 and became a Senior Counsel in October 1987. She was the fourth woman to enter the Inner Bar.[5] She worked on the Midland circuit until 1979, following which she was based in Dublin. She was involved in a number of leading cases while a junior barrister and a Senior Counsel particularly in the area of judicial review. She became a High Court judge in 1991. In 1992, she was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court.[8] She made two dissents early on in her period on the Court.[5]
From 1995 to 1998, she chaired the Working Group on a Courts Commission, which was responsible for a significant reform of the organisation of the courts since the foundation of the state.[4] It led to the establishment of the Courts Service.[7] She was on the Interim Board of the Court Service and served on the Board of the Court Service from its inception, and chaired the board from 2001–04.[7]
From 2006, she chaired the Working Group on a Court of Appeal. The report of the group was published by the government in August 2009. It recommended the establishment of a general Court of Appeal. This was ultimately established in 2014, after a referendum in 2013.[7]
Denham was part of the Irish delegation which, with the Netherlands and Belgium, established the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ) and she continues an involvement in this Network. From 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016, she was President of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union which is an association of Supreme Court Presidents and Chief Justices of EU Member States.[9]
She wrote the judgment in McD v. L (2009), upholding the parental rights of a sperm donor.
Chief Justice
On 4 July 2011, she was nominated by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to become Chief Justice of Ireland, she was appointed as Chief Justice by President Mary McAleese on 25 July 2011. She was the first woman appointed to the office and as a member of the Church of Ireland, she was the first non-Catholic to hold the position. She was also the first graduate of Trinity College, Dublin to have been appointed; Chief Justices have largely been graduates of University College Dublin.[10] She retired from the position in July 2017, and was succeeded by Judge Frank Clarke.
References
- "University and College Officers" (PDF). TCD. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- Curley, Helen, ed. (2000). Local Ireland Almanac and Yearbook of Facts 2000. Local Ireland. p. 297. ISBN 0953653706.
- "Susan Denham to become Ireland's first female Chief Justice". TheJournal.ie. 19 July 2011.
- Carr, Aoife (19 July 2011). "New Chief Justice appointed". The Irish Times.
- "The Bar Review" (PDF) (22(6)). December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- "Susan Denham". LLM Uniiks. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- "Current Judges of the Supreme Court". The Supreme Court of Ireland. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- Supreme Court of Ireland. "Chief Justice Susan Gageby Denham". Supreme Court of Ireland. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Susan Denham nominated for top Irish legal post". BBC News. 20 July 2011.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Murray |
Chief Justice of Ireland 2011–2017 |
Succeeded by Frank Clarke |