Anthony Michael Collins (born 1960) is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

since November 2024. He previously served as Advocate General of the European Court of Justice from 2021 to 2024 and a Judge of the

General Court of the European Union The General Court, informally known as the European General Court (EGC), is a constituent court of the Court of Justice of the European Union. It hears actions taken against the institutions of the European Union by individuals and member stat ...

from 2013 to 2021.

Early life and education

Collins was born on 23 May 1960 in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, to Irish parents. He attended

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

from where graduated with a B.A. degree in

Legal Science Legal science is one of the main components in civil law tradition (after Roman law, canon law, commercial law, and the legacy of the revolutionary period). Legal science is primarily the creation of German legal scholars of the middle and late n ...

in 1984. He attended the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...

to study to become a barrister. He was involved in student organisations, acting as general secretary of the

Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions The Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) is the umbrella organization of 35 national school student unions from 24 European countries. An interlocutor with the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of Europe a ...

between 1977 and 1984, general secretary of the Irish Union of School Students from 1977 to 1979 and was vice president of the Council of European National Youth Committees between 1979 and 1981. He was also a member of the Labour Party.

Legal career

He was called to the bar in 1986 and became a senior counsel in 2003. His legal practice encompassed

European Union law European Union law is a system of Supranational union, supranational Law, laws operating within the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). It has grown over time since the 1952 founding of the European Coal and Steel Community, to promote ...

and administrative law. His involvement with the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...

began in 1990, where he served as référendaire to Irish judges

Tom O'Higgins Thomas Francis O'Higgins (23 July 1916 – 25 February 2003) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, barrister and judge who served as Chief Justice of Ireland and a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1974 to 1985, a Judge of the European Court of Just ...

and John L. Murray. He returned to practice in 1997. He is the co-author of a legal text ''Civil Proceedings and the State'' and edited the ''Irish Journal of European Law'' between 1992 and 2001. He is an adjunct professor of

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

and a

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...

of the King's Inns.

Judicial career

General Court of the European Union

Collins was nominated to the

by the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...

in May 2013, replacing Kevin O'Higgins as the Irish judge on the court. He was reappointed on 1 September 2019 for a further six-year term. He has held the position of President of the Third Chamber of the General Court. In 2016, Collins was elected as president of the Eighth Chamber. In 2019, he was elected as president of the Third Chamber.

Advocate General of the European Union

In April 2021, Ireland's serving Advocate General of the

Gerard Hogan Gerard William Augustine Hogan, (born 13 August 1958) is an Irish judge, lawyer and academic who has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland since October 2021. He previously served as Advocate General of the European Court of Justice ...

was nominated to the

Supreme Court of Ireland The Supreme Court of Ireland () is the highest judicial authority in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a court of final appeal and exercises, in conjunction with the Court of Appeal (Ireland), Court of Appeal and the High Court (Ireland), Hig ...

. The Irish government put in place a panel of Paul Gallagher,

Nial Fennelly Nial Fennelly (born 3 May 1942) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 2000 to 2014, Advocate General of the European Court of Justice and a Judge of the European Court of Justice from 1995 to 2000. He was e ...

and former ambassador Marie Cross to nominate a person to serve the remainder of Hogan's term to 8 October 2024. His nomination was announced on 28 May 2021. His appointment was ratified by the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (directorial system) and a symbolic collective head of state, that defines the overall political direction and general priorities of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the he ...

in September 2021. He will serve between 7 October 2021 and 6 October 2024.

Court of Appeal

Collins was nominated by

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

Simon Harris Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence since January 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025. He has ...

's government as a judge of the

on the 31st of October 2024 and was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...

on the 1st of November 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Anthony Living people 1960 births Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 21st-century Irish judges 20th-century Irish lawyers Alumni of King's Inns General Court (European Union) judges Advocates general of the European Court of Justice