A SUPREME Court judge has marked the occasion of his retirement by saying that lengthy delays of up to five years in securing judgments from that court can be addressed by measures, including a new civil court of appeal.
Mr Justice Hugh Geoghegan, who had a distinguished legal career of more than 40 years, made the remarks yesterday after receiving warm tributes before a packed Supreme Court.
He said one would need to be “living on another planet” not to be conscious of the concerns about delays in the Supreme Court, but there was a reason for this.
When he started at the Bar in 1962, it was a “totally different world” with five Supreme Court judges and seven High Court judges. Now there were eight Supreme Court judges and 37 High Court judges, meaning a massive increase in appeals.
He hoped a solution was in the offing through the work of his Supreme Court colleague, Mrs Justice Susan Denham. She was spearheading moves to have a new civil court of appeal which, it was hoped, would help rapidly clear the backlog in the Supreme Court.
Earlier, Mr Justice Geoghegan said he had led a “charmed life” and had enjoyed every single moment of it. He was called to the Bar in 1962, became a High Court judge in 1992 and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2000.
He said he was overwhelmed to the point of tears and “flattered beyond belief” by the “exaggerated” tributes paid.
When appointed to the High Court, another colleague had said he would consider himself a barrister for the first six months, then it would be “them and us”, but he always felt he was a barrister.
The attendance included judges of the High Court and Supreme Court, Attorney General Paul Gallagher, barristers, solicitors, court service staff and members of Mr Justice Geoghegan’s family.
They included his wife, Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan of the High Court, and his father-in-law, former chief justice Mr Justice Thomas Finlay.
The Chief Justice, Mr Justice John Murray, said his departing colleague had always been motivated by a deep sense of justice rather than a strict adherence to precedent. He would be much missed but left an important legacy through his judgments.
He also noted that Mr Justice Geoghegan remained the only Supreme Court judge whose father, James Geoghegan, once a Fianna Fáil TD, was also a Supreme Court judge, appointed in 1937.
Mr Gallagher said Mr Justice Geoghegan was a man of innate modesty whose sense of dedication to public service had informed his life. His belief in justice had dominated his life and his object was to achieve justice within the law.
Michael Collins of the Bar Council said one word summarised Mr Justice Geoghegan’s judicial and personal qualities, “kindness”. His judgments were infused with a deep sense of humanity and compassion, he added.