Mr Justice Ronan Keane is likely to be nominated as Chief Justice by the Cabinet tomorrow with senior counsel Mr Adrian Hardiman tipped for appointment to the Supreme Court.
The Taoiseach, Tanaiste, Minister for Justice and Attorney General met late last week to finalise nominations to fill judicial vacancies caused by the retirement at the end of this week of the Chief Justice, Mr Liam Hamilton, and the retirement last month of Mr Justice Kevin Lynch from the Supreme Court.
The Cabinet is expected to nominate Mr Justice Keane and Mr Hardiman to their posts tomorrow when it meets in Cork. At least one other Supreme Court nomination and possibly two High Court nominations will also be made.
Mr Ahern, Ms Harney, Mr O'Donoghue and Mr McDowell are also believed to have discussed the two further vacancies to arise later this year upon the retirements of Mr Justice Donal Barrington and Mr Justice Henry Barron.
However, final decisions may not have been made on who should fill these vacancies, and even if they have, these may not be announced until the vacancies arise.
Mr Justice Keane is regarded as having one of the finest legal minds on the bench, and his appointment would be widely welcomed among his judicial colleagues and within the Law Library.
He turns 68 this year and will therefore be due to retire in 2004. At that stage younger judges such as Ms Justice Susan Denham, Mr Justice John Murray - and perhaps Mr Hardiman - will be in the running for the position.
The nomination of Mr Hardiman straight from the Law Library to the State's highest court would be unusual but not unprecedented. While associated with the Progressive Democrats, Mr Hardiman is also acknowledged widely as among the outstanding barristers of his generation, and his appointment would be acknowledged universally as a good one. Mr Hardiman's wife, Ms Yvonne Murphy, was appointed a judge of the Circuit Court in 1998.
Meanwhile, the appointment of Mr Dermot Gallagher as the new secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach is expected to be announced some time after St Patrick's Day.
Mr Gallagher, currently second secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs and head of that Department's Anglo-Irish division, is seen as politically close to Fianna Fail. However, he is also regarded as one of the most able senior civil servants, and has played a central role in the peace process.
Candidates to replace him as head of the Anglo-Irish division are likely to include Ireland's Ambassador to London, Mr Ted Barrington, and the head of administration in the Department, Mr Daithi O Ceallaigh.