Northern Ireland's top judge pledged today to resist any political interference once justice powers are transferred from Westminster.
Appearing before MLAs for the first time, Lord Chief Justice Sir Brian Kerr also recommended establishing a non-departmental board to protect the Court Service's independence.
Sir Brian delivered his assessment after being called to give evidence by the committee examining the proposed devolution of policing and justice arrangements to the power-sharing administration in Stormont.
He said he did not expect political interference but would act decisively if it developed.
Questioned by members at Parliament Buildings today, Sir Brian accepted that different arms of government can work together as long as judges and politicians all respect each others roles.
"Because of our systems of appeals, no judge can expect that his or her decisions will be free from the most painstaking scrutiny in as public a forum as it is possible to imagine.
"But accountability must take place in its proper context and should not imperil the essential concept of judicial independence," he told the panel, chaired by Democratic Unionist MLA Jeffrey Donaldson.
Next May's proposed handover of policing and justice responsibilities remains one of the most contentious issues still to be resolved at Stormont.
Despite the DUP and Sinn Fein having confounded expectations by successfully governing Northern Ireland together, they cannot agree on when the switch should be made.
Unionists, who still harbour deep reservations at the prospect of a republican being in charge of such a department, claim it is too soon. Sinn Fein, however, stress the timetable should be honoured.
Amid the political wrangling, the all-party Assembly and Executive Review Committee is to prepare a report before Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward makes a decision in May.
PA