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Supreme Court Justice Seamus Woulfe complained last month that he was not sure his fellow Supreme Court justices had not prejudged him over the Golfgate controversy, it has been discovered.
The statement came during a Sept. 8 meeting with former Supreme Court Justice Susan Denham, who ultimately ruled that it would be “unfair and disproportionate” if called upon to resign.
“Unfortunately, I think even judges are not above prejudging, judge, and in this state of hysteria I cannot be sure that even some of my colleagues have prejudged me,” he said, according to a transcript of the meeting.
In the transcript, he says: “I think it is more damaging to the Supreme Court if they allow some kind of theoretical harm to prevail than to harass a judge out of office without a valid reason.”
The press coverage of Clifden’s dinner now appeared “objectively to be completely false, exaggerated,” he said, adding that he felt sorry for the organizers who “had been ridiculed” for holding an event that “is somehow like a Ku Klux Klan “. .
‘Unfortunate moment’
When asked if he accepted that the scandal came after “six months of not going to baptisms, not having weddings, not being able to go to his family’s funerals,” Judge Woulfe answered yes.
“This was a very unfortunate set of circumstances and an unfortunate time. And for the media to present these people with what appeared to be a flagrant violation of regulations and guidelines was like setting off a bomb, “he said.
Meanwhile, several Supreme Court justices met with Justice Woulfe on Friday to discuss the resolution of the controversy over his attendance at the Oireachtas Golf Society’s August dinner.
Judge Woulfe is understood to consider what he was told over the weekend and is likely to meet with Chief Justice Frank Clarke early next week.
The latest Supreme Court daily does not mention Judge Woulfe to hear a case, and one that had previously been placed on the list to hear will now be dealt with by five other justices, not including him.
‘Account of the facts’
No one in the government had investigated the events before the trials were delivered, Judge Woulfe told Ms Denham, adding that one of the organizers, Donie Cassidy, said they had never asked for “an account of the events.” .
Furthermore, the government itself had misinterpreted the rules in force at the time, he said, adding that Dara Calleary was forced to resign because Tánaiste Leo Varadkar insisted that only six people were allowed to meet.
“I mean, if the government itself doesn’t understand, or if the Attorney General can’t explain it to them, I’m sure they’re trying hard, what hope do we have?” he stated.
Meanwhile, his legal representative in the September interview with Ms. Denham, Michael Collins SC, told the former Chief Justice that “justices cannot be thrown out of office with misinformed comments creating a storm of fire.
“They have to do it, no matter how strong the firestorm may be, they have to face it and say: ‘judicial independence requires that they not remove us from our position without good reason’, because if that is the case, then where? we stopped? “
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