Lord Chief Justice of Ireland facts for kids

The Four Courts. This building has been the main place for Irish courts since 1804. The Court of King's Bench was one of the first courts to meet here.

The Lord Chief Justice was a very important judge in Ireland for many centuries. This judge led the Court of King's Bench. If a Queen was ruling, it was called the Court of Queen's Bench. This court was similar to a court with the same name in England.

Under English rule, the Lord Chief Justice was the second most important judge in Ireland. After Ireland became part of the United Kingdom, this judge was still very senior. For a short time, from 1922 to 1924, the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland was even the most important judge in the new Irish Free State.

History of This Important Judge

The job of Lord Chief Justice started a very long time ago, when England first ruled parts of Ireland (from 1171 to 1536). It continued when Ireland became a kingdom (1536–1800) and later when it joined with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom.

Before 1877, the Lord Chief Justice was in charge of the Court of King's or Queen's Bench. This made them the top judge in common law cases. After 1877, the Lord Chief Justice led the Queen's Bench Division. This new court was part of the High Court of Justice and always met in the Four Courts building in Dublin.

Many interesting people held this job. For example, Thomas Lefroy, who was Lord Chief Justice from 1852 to 1866, was a friend of the famous writer Jane Austen. She used him as inspiration for the character Mr. Darcy in her book Pride and Prejudice.

Another famous Lord Chief Justice was Lord Whiteside (1866–1876). He once defended the Irish leader Daniel O'Connell in court. Sadly, one Lord Chief Justice, Lord Kilwarden, was killed by a crowd during a rebellion in 1803 led by Robert Emmet.

When the Job Ended

The idea to get rid of the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland job came up in 1920. The plan was to change the title to "Lord Chief Justice of Southern Ireland." However, the judge who held the job at the time, Sir Thomas Molony, worked hard to keep the original title. He was allowed to keep the title, but his successors would not.

In December 1922, another very important judge job, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was ended. This meant the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland became the most senior judge in the new Irish Free State. But this did not last long.

The new Irish Free State wanted its own court system. So, in 1924, a new law called the Courts of Justice Act was passed. This law officially ended the job of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. A new position, the Chief Justice of the Irish Free State, took its place as the top judge in the Irish Free State.

In what became Northern Ireland, a similar job was created. It was called the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland.

List of Lord Chief Justices