The Cabinet has put off making a final decision on selecting the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court until its meeting next week.
The outgoing Chief Justice, Mr Ronan Keane, who retires tomorrow, buried his son, Timothy, this week after a tragic accident at his home at Harold's Cross Road, Terenure, Dublin.
Mr Justice Keane became a senior counsel in 1970, and was appointed to the High Court in 1979. He was president of the Law Reform Commission from 1987 to 1992, and was promoted to the Supreme Court in 1996.
Mr Justice Keane is the author of major legal textbooks covering local government, company law, planning and the law on equities and trusts.
Mr Justice Keane was appointed Chief Justice at the age of 68, and he must step down from the bench because he has reached the mandatory retirement age of 72.
