Sir, – Your editorial of September 12th, "Judging our judges", quotes from the judicial oath of office, which is found in Article 34.5.1 of Bunreacht na hÉireann. The oath, sworn in public by all judges, begins with the phrase "In the presence of Almighty God", and ends with the phrase "May God direct and sustain me". It is also clear from the preamble to the Constitution that the God in question is very specifically the Christian God, and in particular the personage of Jesus Christ.
Apart from the concerns raised over the years regarding the exclusion of non-believers or people of other faiths, this oath of office leaves every Irish judge open to the charge that they are either a hypocrite or an idiot, and therefore unfit to hold public office. A hypocrite if they do not believe, yet take the oath. An idiot if they have left their critical faculties outside the door of the court, in failing to consider evidence before appealing to the divine for official direction and sustenance.
The oath also tarnishes each and every judgment handed down by those willing to swear such an oath.
The oath further implies, if not mandates, a belief in the supernatural, and leaves the taker open to the reasonable charge that they believe magic can provide the answer to a question, the explanation of a phenomenon or the solution to a problem.
I submit that this aspect of the judge’s oath along with all other religious provisions of the Constitution need to be removed forthwith. – Yours, etc,
JIM BRILLY,
Dublin 8.