86.42.148.113 at 16:58, 7 December 2024

2024-12-07T16:58:08Z

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{{Short description|Irish judge (1942–2023)}}
{{Sources|date=December 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Irish English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image =
| office = Judge of the [[Supreme Court of Ireland|Supreme Court]]
| term_start = 7 January 2006
| term_end = 22 March 2012
| nominator = [[Government of the 29th Dáil|Government of Ireland]]
| appointer = [[Mary McAleese]]
| office1 = President of the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]]
| term_start1 = 8 September 2001
| term_end1 = 7 January 2006
| nominator1 = [[Government of the 28th Dáil|Government of Ireland]]
| appointer1 = Mary McAleese
| predecessor1 = [[Frederick Morris]]
| successor1 = [[Richard Johnson (judge)|Richard Johnson]]
| office2 = Judge of the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]]
| term_start2 = 1 July 1999
| term_end2 = 7 January 2006
| nominator2 = [[Government of the 28th Dáil|Government of Ireland]]
| appointer2 = Mary Aleese
| birth_date = {{birth date|1942|10|1|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Swords, Dublin]], Ireland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|12|16|1942|10|1|df=y}}
| death_place = Dublin, Ireland
| nationality = [[Irish people|Irish]]
| spouse =
| children =
| education = [[Synge Street CBS]]
| alma_mater = {{Ubl|[[University College Dublin]]|[[King's Inns]]}}
|}}
'''Joseph Gerald Finnegan''' (1 October 1942 – 16 December 2023) was an Irish judge who served as a Judge of the [[Supreme Court of Ireland|Supreme Court]] from 2006 to 2012, President of the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]] from 2001 to 2006 and a Judge of the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]] from 1999 to 2006.<ref name="Sheahan">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/judge-gets-a-promotion-to-supreme-court-69806.html|title=Judge gets a promotion to Supreme Court|last=Sheahan|first=Fionnan|date=22 November 2006|work=[[Irish Independent]]|accessdate=24 February 2011|archive-date=26 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026111955/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/judge-gets-a-promotion-to-supreme-court-69806.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Finnegan was technically the second highest ranking judge in Ireland while he was President of the High Court and was an ''ex officio'' member of the Supreme Court that he was subsequently appointed to as a full member.

==Biography==
Joseph Gerald Finnegan was born on 1 October 1942.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Finnegan, Joseph, (born 1 Oct. 1942), a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland, 2006–12 |journal=Who's Who |date=1 December 2007 |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U245196}}</ref> He was educated at [[Synge Street CBS]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/five-now-in-the-running-to-become-new-chief-justice-25906654.html |title=Five now in the running to become new chief justice |access-date=2022-02-03 |archive-date=2018-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613090011/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/five-now-in-the-running-to-become-new-chief-justice-25906654.html |url-status=live | newspaper=Irish Independent | first=Kathy | last=Donaghy | date=17 July 2004 }}</ref> and St. Mary's College [[Dundalk]]. He attended [[University College Dublin]] and was awarded degrees of Bachelor of Civil Law and Bachelor of Laws. He qualified as a [[solicitor]] in 1966. He was Assistant Secretary of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland from 1968 to 1973. He was [[called to the Bar]] in 1978 and became [[Senior Counsel]] in 1990. He practised mainly in general common law and chancery matters. He had a particular interest in conveyancing and title-related litigation. He was appointed to the bench of the [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]] in 1999 and was appointed President of the High Court in 2001, a position which he held until his appointment to the [[Supreme Court of Ireland]] in December 2006. He retired from the Supreme Court in 2012.

Finnegan was a member of the Board of the Courts Service from 2001 to 2006 sat on the finance committee and remuneration committee and was chairman of its audit committee. He had a keen interest in legal education and was a member of the education committee of the Honorable Society of the [[King's Inns]] from 2000 until his death. He was also a Bencher of the Honorable Society of King's Inns and a Bencher of the Honorable Society of [[Middle Temple]].

Finnegan died in Dublin on 16 December 2023, at the age of 81.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former president of the High Court Joseph Finnegan dies aged 81 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/12/16/former-president-of-the-high-court-joseph-finnegan-dies-aged-81/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Frederick Morris]]}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[High Court (Ireland)|President of the High Court]]
|years = 2001–2006}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Richard Johnson (judge)|Richard Johnson]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnegan, Joseph}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Presidents of the High Court (Ireland)]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish judges]]
[[Category:Alumni of University College Dublin]]
[[Category:People educated at Synge Street CBS]]
[[Category:Alumni of King's Inns]]
[[Category:21st-century Irish judges]]
[[Category:People educated at St Mary's College, Dundalk]]

Joseph Finnegan (judge) - Revision history

86.42.148.113 at 16:58, 7 December 2024