Meeting over judge’s golf dinner attendance postponed again

ireland
Meeting Over Judge’s Golf Dinner Attendance Postponed Again
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Press Association
A meeting between the Chief Justice and Supreme Court judge Seamus Woulfe over the latter’s attendance at a controversial golf dinner has been postponed again.

Mr Justice Woulfe’s meeting with Frank Clarke is part of a resolution process emanating from a report investigating his decision to attend the golf event amid coronavirus guidance against large indoor gatherings.

Mr Woulfe, a former attorney general who was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in July, faced criticism after it emerged he was among 81 guests who attended the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in the west of Ireland in August.

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His meeting with the Chief Justice had initially been scheduled for the start of this week.

The Chief Justice has emphasised to Mr Justice Woulfe the urgency of bringing this process forward

Justice Woulfe contacted Mr Clarke on Sunday to request a postponement for personal reasons. The Chief Justice agreed and the meeting was put back to the end of the week.

The Chief Justice received a further request from his judicial colleague on Tuesday to again defer the encounter.

A statement from the Chief Justice said: “The Chief Justice has received a request for a further postponement on medical grounds and has agreed to fix the meeting for Tuesday of next week.

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“The Chief Justice has emphasised to Mr Justice Woulfe the urgency of bringing this process forward.”

Former chief justice Susan Denham, who carried out the report on Mr Woulfe’s attendance at the dinner, said he did not break any law or knowingly breach any Covid-19 guidelines.

She found that Justice Woulfe did “nothing involving impropriety” that would justify calls for his resignation.

She added that such a step would be “unjust and disproportionate”.

In a report published last week, Justice Denham said it was reasonable for Justice Woulfe to rely on the assurances of the event’s organisers and from his own observations that it complied with the Covid-19 regulations.

However, she said that Justice Woulfe did not consider the dinner invitation from the point of view of his new status as a Supreme Court judge and in this regard he was “not sufficiently vigilant”.

She found there was no breach of law committed by Justice Woulfe and that his attendance at the dinner did not breach the principle of the separation of powers.

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