Chief Justice Frank Clarke, presented a human face of the senior judiciary in Ireland, in a rare interview conducted in Kerry on Tuesday evening. It came at the end of a fractious year, during which the Supreme Court found itself mired in scandal and conflict. They may have financial pressures from time to time, personal issues, they may be sick … we are not immune from the human condition.”The Chief Justice was involved in an unprecedented crisis this year following the “Golfgate” controversy. Following a report by former chief justice Susan Denham, concerning the attendance of Supreme Court judge Woulfe at the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden, Co Galway, Chief Justice Clarke wrote to Mr Justice Woulfe. In the letter, the Chief Justice said it was his opinion that Mr Justice Woulfe should resign, and that Mr Justice Woulfe’s attendance of the golf dinner in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions, and the subsequent fallout, had caused “very significant and irreparable damage” to the Supreme Court.

Source: The Irish Times December 08, 2020 20:10 UTC