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The Supreme Court has said it met today to consider former Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Denham’s report on Justice Seamus Woulfe’s attendance at the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner.
The Supreme Court said it sent the report to the newly established Judicial Council to allow it to consider publishing the report in fulfillment of its statutory role of maintaining trust in the judiciary.
It is understood that the board of the Judiciary Council will meet tomorrow. The report is not expected to be released until after that, at the earliest.
It is also understood that the Council has indemnified Judge Denham against any legal action she may face as a result of the publication.
In August, the court had asked Ms. Denham to conduct a review of the Supreme Court Justice’s attendance at the event in Clifden.
Ms. Denham was asked to consider whether Mr. Judge Woulfe should, in all circumstances, have left the hotel in light of the prevailing situation and whether he should have played golf without attending dinner.
In the context of these questions, Ms Denham was also asked to consider whether there are relevant codes of practice or guidelines and to make any appropriate recommendations in this regard.
The Judicial Council was established in December 2019 with a mandate that included promoting and maintaining public confidence in the judiciary and the administration of justice.
The Supreme Court took a “non-statutory approach” in asking Judge Denham to conduct her report on the matter because the relevant sections of the Judicial Council Act 2019 that cover codes of conduct for the judiciary and complaints against the judges have not yet started.
The judicial conduct committee, established under the law, was created only in July and has 12 months to establish guidelines on the conduct of judges.
The section of the law governing judicial conduct and complaints about judges will not begin until the council has adopted the guidelines.
Judge Woulfe, the former attorney general, was among more than 80 guests who attended the dinner on Aug. 19 after two days of golf. The event at the Co Galway hotel was held despite Covid-19 public health guidelines that place limits on indoor gatherings. Several TDs and senators attended, along with former TDs and senators.
The controversy surrounding the event has led to the resignation of Fianna Fáil TD Dara Calleary as Minister of Agriculture and European Commissioner Phil Hogan.
In the course of her review, Ms. Denham met with Mr. Justice Woulfe, who was accompanied by Michael Collins SC, whom she had hired following the announcement of the review. According to sources, a draft of the report was provided to Judge Woulfe before Ms. Denham finalized it.
The matter is the subject of intense speculation in legal circles, even if the report will be published.
Judge Woulfe last month issued a lengthy statement saying he attended the dinner with the understanding that he would adhere to public health guidelines and apologized for any inadvertent breaches of them.
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