The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland[1][2] is a judge who presides over the courts of Northern Ireland and is the head of the Northern Irish judiciary.[3] The present Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is Dame Siobhan Keegan.[4] Her counterpart in England and Wales is the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, and in Scotland her equivalent is the Lord President of the Court of Session. The position was established with the creation of Northern Ireland in 1922, and was preceded by the position of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland prior to the partition of Ireland.
| Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|
| an Tiarna Príomh-Bhreitheamh Thuaisceart Éireann (Irish) | |
Incumbent | |
| Judiciary of Northern Ireland | |
| Style | The Right Honourable |
| Nominator | Prime Minister, following consultation with the Lord Chief Justice and the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission |
| Appointer | Monarch |
| Term length | During good behaviour subject to mandatory retirement at 75 |
| Constituting instrument | Judicature (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 |
| Precursor | Lord Chief Justice of Ireland |
| Inaugural holder | Sir Denis Henry, Bt |
| Formation | 1922 |
| Deputy | the senior available Lord Justice of Appeal |
| Salary | £238,868 |
| Website | www |
The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland holds the office of President of the courts of Northern Ireland and is head of the judiciary of Northern Ireland.[5]
The Lord Chief Justice is responsible for representing the views of the judiciary of Northern Ireland to government, for the maintenance of appropriate arrangements for the welfare, training and guidance of the judiciary of Northern Ireland, and for the maintenance of appropriate arrangements for the deployment of the judiciary of Northern Ireland and the allocation of work within courts.[5]
The Lord Chief Justice is president of the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Crown Court, the county courts and the magistrates' courts of Northern Ireland.[1] The Lord Chief Justice is entitled to sit on any of those courts, but routinely sits on the Court of Appeal.[5]