The Judicial Appointments Commission Bill has completed the second stage of committee hearing despite concerns the new body for selecting judges may lack transparency. The commission would replace the current Judicial Appointments Advisory Board and propose names to the Government for appointment to the judiciary. The commission would have 13 members and a number of 11-member subcommittees which would assess applications for judicial appointments from the lower courts to the Supreme Court. Mr Ó Laoghaire said they were “trying to ensure that it’s not too easy for the Government to constantly go outside the process”. Deputies called last month for the Minister to consider the make-up of the new commission, warning that forming multiple committees would be “unwieldy”.

Source: The Irish Times February 15, 2018 20:15 UTC