Isobel Kennedy

Isobel Kennedy is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal since November 2018. She previously served as a Judge of the High Court from 2015 to 2018 and Chairperson of the Referendum Commission from March 2018 to November 2018.

The Hon. Ms. Justice

Isobel Kennedy
Judge of the Court of Appeal
Assumed office
13 November 2018
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Judge of the High Court
In office
10 February 2015 – 13 November 2018
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Chair of the Referendum Commission
In office
29 March 2018 – 11 November 2018
Appointed byEoghan Murphy
Personal details
BornLimerick, Ireland
NationalityIrish

Kennedy is from Limerick.[1] She obtained a BCL degree in 1986 and began practising as barrister in 1988.[2] She specialised in criminal and constitutional law. She served on the Barristers' Professional Conduct Tribunal of the Bar Council of Ireland and a member of the Bar Council between 1995 and 1997. She became a senior counsel in 2003.[1] Kennedy acted as a barrister for the Investigation Committee of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse.[3]

She became a High Court judge in February 2015.[4] She was nominated following a selection process by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board.[2] She acted as Judge on the Special Criminal Court until 2018.[5]

Kennedy twice served as Chairperson to the Referendum Commission, serving for the referendum to allow the Oireachtas to legislate for abortion and the referendum to remove blasphemy from the Constitution.[6][7] The referendum on abortion had the highest voter turnout in a referendum since the establishment of the Commission. Kennedy recommended in a report to the Oireachtas that the Commission be replaced with "a permanent Electoral Commission".[8]

She became a Judge of the Court of Appeal in November 2018.[9] Kennedy's appointment to the Court of Appeal at the same time as Caroline Costello led to the first Irish court with a gender balanced number of judges.[10]

She currently serves on the Advisory Committee to the School of Law at the University of Limerick.[11]

References
  1. Hurley, David (30 January 2015). "Limerick woman set to be new High Court judge". Limerick Leader. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  2. "Appointment to the High Court". Irish Government News Service. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  3. "Interim Report". Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  4. "President appoints Judge Margaret Heneghan and Ms. Isobel Kennedy S.C.as High Court Judges". President.ie. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  5. "Government shuffles judges". Law Society Gazette. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  6. "Minister Murphy announces establishment of Referendum Commission". Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  7. "Referendum Commission (Establishment) (No.2) Order 2018" (PDF). Iris Oifigiúil. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  8. "Report on the referendum on the regulation of the termination of pregnancy" (PDF). Referendum Commission. September 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  9. "President appoints judges to the Court of Appeal and the High Court". President.ie. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  10. "Minister Flanagan welcomes 50/50 gender balance in Court of Appeal". Irish Government News Service. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  11. "Management & Advisory Committees". UL School of Law. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
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