Posted by Dangerous game for McEntee to rely on judges vetting board as political cover in Woulfe saga
Justice Minister Helen McEntee will face opposition questioning in the Dáil this evening about the appointment of Séamus Woulfe to the Supreme Court. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins
November 26 2020 02:30 AM
After a rather lengthy impression of Dr Richard Kimble, Justice Minister Helen McEntee will finally appear in the Dáil this evening over her appointment of former Attorney General Séamus Woulfe as a Supreme Court judge.
The Justice Minister, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar have frequently cited the role of the body in the process of selecting the judge. It’s a dangerous game to play as it attempts to take a rather grey area and portray it as being black and white. The route to becoming a judge is rather more complex than merely sending a CV into a panel of experts who pick the best candidate.
Her defence in the cross-examination from a rather cross Opposition will focus heavily on the “recommendation” of the State board charged with vetting applications to become a judge. The Government has been using the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board (JAAB) as a handy political cover for the controversial appointment.
