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Richard Humphreys (judge)

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The Hon. Mr. Justice
Richard Humphreys
Humphreys in 2015
Judge of the High Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 October 2015
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Personal details
Political partyLabour Party
Other political
affiliations		Fine Gael
EducationSt Michael's College, Dublin
Alma mater

Richard Humphreys is an Irish judge and lawyer who has served as a Judge of the High Court since October 2015. He was previously a barrister, legal academic, political adviser, and was a member of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council for the Labour Party.

Early life

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Humphreys attended St Michael's College, Dublin, graduating in 1984.[1] He received BCL and LLM law degrees from University College Dublin in 1988 and 1989 respectively.[2] While a student at UCD, Humphreys was the auditor of the L&H society between 1986 and 1987. During his term in charge of the society, it hosted the World Universities Debating Championship.[3]

He subsequently attended the King's Inns and obtained a PhD in law from Trinity College Dublin.[4]

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He was called to the Bar in 1991 and became a senior counsel in 2009. He practised primarily in the area of public law, specifically Constitutional law, judicial review and immigration law.[5] He twice appeared for Sinn Féin in constitutional challenges.[6] He also appeared in media law and defamation cases.[7][8]

Humphreys was a lecturer at UCD and University College Cork between 1990 and 1993,[5] and also taught at the law faculties of TCD and NUI Galway.[9] He was a member of the Balance in Criminal Law Review Group and the chairperson of the Statute Law Expert Advisory Group.[9][5]

While a government adviser, he attended talks in 1996 which contributed to the Good Friday Agreement.[4] He has since written two texts on the agreement, United Ireland and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.[10][11]

Political career

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As a teenager, Humphreys was a member of Young Fine Gael,[12] before becoming a member of the Labour Party.

He worked as a legal adviser to the Labour Party for two decades.[9] He became a legal adviser to Mervyn Taylor at the Department of Equality and Law Reform in January 1993,[13] holding that position until 1997.[9]

He was elected to Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council at the 2009 local elections as a county councillor for the Stillorgan local electoral area. He was re-elected in 2014, serving until his retirement from politics in May 2015.[14][15] In 2010, he proposed a motion to offer to hold an event to welcome Queen Elizabeth II.[16]

Judicial career

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Humphreys was appointed to the High Court in October 2015,[17] by the Fine Gael and Labour Party coalition government.[6]

In an immigration case ruling[18] in 2016, he followed a 2008 ruling[19] of Judge Mary Irvine that the unborn had constitutional rights that should be considered by the Minister for Justice, and took the view that this conclusion was reinforced by Article 42A of the Constitution of Ireland. The Supreme Court of Ireland in 2018 reversed this reasoning but upheld the order that the Minister was obliged to consider the rights that would accrue on birth of the child.[20] He has also heard numerous judicial review cases, including decisions of the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Education and Skills.[21][22] In 2018, he ordered the State Examinations Commission to expedite its decision on an appeal to the awarding of Leaving Certificate points.[23]

Humphreys was appointed to the Law Reform Commission as a part-time commissioner for a five-year term in October 2020.[24] The same month, the Supreme Court gave judgment on an appeal against two 2019 judgments by Humphreys in an immigration case; while upholding his "lucid, reasoned, elegant and intelligent" judgment, Justice Marie Baker criticised "quite remarkable and personally insulting comments" he had made about counsel for both sides.[25]

He is the judge in charge of the Strategic Infrastructural Development Judicial Review List of the High Court.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Announcing the date and venue for our annual dinner". smcu.ie. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Professional Diploma in Employment Law Graduation". UCD School of Law. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Discussing details of the world debating championships". The Irish Times. 23 December 1986. p. 7. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b "A Constitutional Conversation about the Future of our Shared Island: 20 March 2019". TCD. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Appointments to the Supreme Court, High Court and District Court". merrionstreet.ie. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Former legal adviser to Labour party nominated for appointment to High Court". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Judge in call to penalise defamation on internet". The Irish Times. 1 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  8. ^ O'Faolain, Aodhan. "Journalist refuses to reveal sources about phone in bra story". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d "Membership of the Balance in the Criminal Law Review Group announced". The Department of Justice and Equality. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  10. ^ Humphreys, Richard (2008). Countdown to unity : debating Irish reunification. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-0716533474.
  11. ^ Humphreys, Richard (2018). Beyond the border : the good Friday agreement and Irish unity after Brexit. Merrion Press. ISBN 978-1785372056.
  12. ^ "Young FG row on amendment". The Irish Times. 17 August 1983. p. 4.
  13. ^ "Labour appoints outside advisers". The Irish Times. 20 January 1993. p. 3.
  14. ^ "Councillor Dr. Richard Humphreys". Dun Laoghaire Rathdown. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  15. ^ McGee, Harry. "Iseult O'Malley to be appointed as Supreme Court judge". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Richard Humphreys: When royal love-in was denied a room". independent. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  17. ^ "News Appointment Of Judge Of The Supreme Court And Judges Of The High Court". president.ie. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  18. ^ "2015 No. 436 J. R." Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  19. ^ "2006 No. 371 J. R." Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  20. ^ "Courts Service - Judgements". Courts Service of Ireland.
  21. ^ "Department 'like Orwell's pig dictator' in treatment of woman". independent. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  22. ^ "School wins appeal against order to enrol violent boy (8)". independent. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  23. ^ O'Donnell, Orla (26 September 2018). "Student wins case over incorrect Leaving Cert marks". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Three commissioners appointed to LRC". www.lawsociety.ie. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  25. ^ Keena, Colm (13 October 2020). "Supreme Court sharply criticises judge's comments about barristers". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.; Baker, Marie (13 October 2020). "[2020] IESC 62 : Ivan Seredych v Minister for Justice And Equality". Judgments. Courts Service of Ireland. ss.94–101. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.; Humphreys, Richard (29 October 2019). "[2019] IEHC 730: Ivan Seredych v Minister for Justice And Equality (No. 3)". Judgments. Courts Service of Ireland. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.; Humphreys, Richard (16 December 2019). "[2019] IEHC 891 : Ivan Seredych v Minister for Justice And Equality (No. 4)". Judgments. Courts Service of Ireland. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  26. ^ "Notice - High Court Michaelmas Term - Assignment of Judges". Courts Service. 13 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
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