Is the Vacancy on the Supreme Court being Held Open as Part of FF/FG/GREEN Deal?
Aontú Leader & Meath West Peadar Tóibín has called on the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to clarify if the second vacancy on the Irish Supreme Court was being held open for another political appointee in another ‘quid pro quo’ arrangement.
Tóibín: “There is a serious concern that our Courts system is being politicised. Not in an American fashion on partisan issues, but in a truly Irish fashion where the Court is being used as a political carrot or reward for those in the know.
We have questions as to why Helen McEntee did not fill both vacancies in July given she had a large number of applicants to the position. We was one position left vacant. Is the current Minister for Justice Helen McEntee holding over the current Supreme Court vacancy for another political appointee when the new Taoiseach takes office? Was this part of the deal to form a government that Fine Gael got to nominate Séamus Wolfe to the Supreme Court and Fianna Fáil would also get a nominee?”
“The Court nomination process is an exercise in political horse trading – an unspoken about means greasing collation government deals. Those without the right connections need not apply. Powerful judgeships are often given to those with deeply political roots. We cannot allow the Courts become a back-up option for those in the political system. We need a clear and transparent recruitment process based on merit alone”.
“Are we to believe that the current vacancy being held open by the Minister for Justice does not have political designs on it? The Minister needs to come before the Dáil and answer questions as to the Supreme Court vacancy and has its eventual candidate already been chosen?”
