Three non-judicial members of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board have been named by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter.
Two of the appointees to the board which advises the Government on the appointment of judges – Dr Simon Boucher and Karen Dent – work in academia. The third, Dr Valerie Bresnihan, was an NUI Seanad candidate in 2002 and 2007.
Their appointment follows a pledge by Taoiseach Enda Kenny last month he would not use “political bias” in nominating personnel to the board.
The board was set up under the Courts and Court Officers Act of 1995 after Harry Whelehan’s appointment as High Court president. Its remit is to assess applications for judicial vacancies, presenting government with a shortlist that in theory takes sole discretion for appointments away from government.
Dr Boucher is registrar and head of graduate studies at the Irish Management Institute. Ms Dent is a chartered accountant.
Dr Bresnihan taught equality studies and politics at UCD before serving on the Mountjoy Prison visiting committee from 1996-2000.