Two new judges nominated to Court of Appeal

Two High Court judges have been nominated by the Government for appointment as judges of the Court of Appeal.

Ms Justice Caroline Costello and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy will replace Mr Justice Gerard Hogan, who is taking up a position as Advocate General on the Court of Justice of the EU and Mr Justice John Hedigan, who is retiring.

The latest nominations mean there will be five female and five male judges on the Court of Appeal.

Ms Justice Costello, who was called to the Bar in 1988, became senior counsel in 2010 and was appointed to the High Court in 2014, had been managing the High Court chancery and bankruptcy lists.

Ms Justice Kennedy, a senior counsel since 2003 had an extensive practice in criminal law before being appointed as a High Court judge in 2015. She was chairwoman of the Referendum Commission for the referendum on the Eighth amendment.

The nominations come a week after the government nominated Garrett Simons SC for appointment as a judge of the High Court.

Meanwhile, Judge Eugene Regan, an Irish judge on the Court of Justice of the EU, has become the first Irish judge to be elected president of one of the chambers of that court.