The vacancies on the Circuit Court bench had no sooner been filled last March, after much drama and gnashing of teeth, than the race started for the three district court judge jobs. Reports have it that 270 lawyers, mostly solicitors, are seeking appointments.
All applicants are first vetted by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board, but while scores might qualify, the board generally submits only seven names for each vacancy to the Cabinet for decision. Despite the strict notice in the advert that "canvassing is prohibited", lobbying has been well underway for some time and Ministers are so fed up with being canvassed they are considering drawing the names from a hat. Strangely, it is still anticipated that the well-established tradition of each government appointing its own will prevail.
The district court bench has long been a preserve of solicitors, who seek a high status position - salary £55,000 - often at the end of their careers, and the circuit court has recently been opened up to them. The Law Society's battle to allow solicitors become High Court judges continues. The working group representing barristers, solicitors and outside members such as the director of consumer affairs, William Fagan, established by Nora Owen to examine the issue, is expected to report to the current Minister, John O'Donoghue, before the end of the month. Although the barristers are zealously fighting to maintain their preserve, the trend, and expectation, is towards liberalisation.
