The Hon. Ms. Justice
Tara Burns
Judge of the Court of Appeal
Assumed office
4 July 2023
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Judge of the High Court
In office
28 June 2018 – 4 July 2023
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Personal details
BornHamilton, Ontario, Canada
NationalityIrish
EducationMercy College, Sligo
Alma mater

Tara Burns is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal since July 2023. She previously served as a Judge of the High Court from 2018 to 2023. She was the Chairperson of the Referendum Commission for a 2019 referendum on divorce.

She formerly practiced as a barrister specialising in criminal law and has continued to focus on criminal trials while serving on the bench.

Early life

Burns was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, but grew up in Sligo, Ireland. She attended Mercy College, Sligo.[1] She obtained a BCL from University College Dublin in 1993.[2]

Burns was a barrister from 1995 and became a senior counsel in 2013.[1] She frequently appeared in criminal cases for both defendants and the Director of Public Prosecutions.[3][4] She appeared on behalf of the Garda Commissioner at the Morris Tribunal in 2002 and represented Superintendent Dave Taylor at the Disclosures Tribunal.[5][6] She also often practised on the Midland and Northern Circuits.[6]

Judicial career

High Court

Burns was appointed a judge of the High Court on 28 June 2018.[7] She has heard cases involving sexual offences[8] and homicide.[9]

In November 2018, she was assigned to the Special Criminal Court.[10] She was the judge in charge of the Asylum List of the High Court in 2020.[11]

Referendum Commission

She was appointed chairperson of the Referendum Commission in February 2019 for the May 2019 referendum to amend the Constitution.[12] Burns attended events around Ireland to promote voter participation in the referendum, including a ceremony to confer Irish citizenship on 2,500 people.[13][14] The Commission spent €2.34 million. Burns endorsed the idea of having a permanent electoral commission and modernising the voter registration system.[15]

Court of Appeal

She was nominated for appointment to the Court of Appeal in May 2023.[16] She was appointed in July 2023.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sligo native to be High Court Judge". The Sligo Champion. 16 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Alumni appointed to High Court and Court of Appeal". UCD School of Law. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  3. ↑ Giblin, Ruaidhrí (6 October 2016). "Man who sexually abused his sister "in excess of a couple of hundred times" fails to have sentence reduced". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  4. ↑ Reid, Natasha (14 December 2016). "Prosecutor: Scully broke all rules by giving daughter too much sedative". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  5. ↑ "Representation". The Morris Tribunal. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Well known Barrister in local Courts is nominated as High Court Judge". Northern Sound. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  7. ↑ "President appoints new Judges". President of Ireland. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  8. ↑ "'True predator' jailed for seven years for 30 counts of sexual abuse of four girls". Breaking News. 11 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Reid, Natasha (25 July 2019). "Meat factory worker jailed for nine years for killing housemate with boning knife". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "Government shuffles judges". Law Society. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  11. ↑ "Notice - High Court Michaelmas Term - Assignment of Judges". Courts Service. 13 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "Minister Murphy announces establishment of Referendum Commission". Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  13. ↑ "Referendum Commission Chairperson launches campaign in Donegal". Donegal Now. 11 April 2019. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  14. ↑ Lucey, Anne (29 April 2019). "New Irish citizens urged to vote in upcoming referendum". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  15. ↑ "Report on the Referendum Campaign" (PDF). Refcom. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly set for Supreme Court". www.lawsociety.ie. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "Diary President Appoints Judges To The Court Of Appeal 4 7 2023". president.ie. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
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