Ms Justice Denham is unambiguous in her view that he should not have attended the dinner. Based on the evidence and submissions received, Ms Justice Denham concluded that the 58-year-old did nothing involving impropriety such as would justify calls for his resignation from office. From the transcripts, Mr Justice Woulfe told Ms Justice Denham that it would have been “ridiculous” to do so, but Ms Justice Denham disagrees with that to say the least. Justice Woulfe stated that he did not know that there was a second function room behind the partition wall,” the report states. By any standard, this is a less than auspicious start to his judicial career for Mr Justice Woulfe and while Ms Justice Denham stops short of calling for his head, the report is far from a ringing endorsement of his judgment either.

Source: Irish Examiner October 01, 2020 17:59 UTC