Ms Elizabeth Dunne is the only new member of the High Court to have been promoted from the Circuit Court, to which she was appointed in 1996. A senior counsel said: "She will make an excellent High Court judge".
When on the Circuit Court she had a long stint in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, seen as one of the hardest stations on the Circuit Court bench.
Among the cases she heard recently was one in which a nightclub bouncer was charged with making a false report to the Garda about allegedly being assaulted by Eamon Dunphy. The jury failed to reach agreement in the case.
She has also heard a number of personal injuries cases, ruling against a number of them, and employment and discrimination cases. In one such case she found that anorexia was a disability and awarded the women with the complaint compensation for unfair dismissal.
She is married to Mr James Dwyer, a senior counsel.