Elizabeth Dunne (born 12 January 1956) is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of 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 ...

since July 2013. She previously served as a Judge of the High Court from 2004 to 2013 and a Judge of the

Circuit Court Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: * Courts that literally sit 'on circuit', i.e., judges move around a region or country to different towns or cities where they will hear cases; * Courts that s ...

from 1996 to 2004.

Early career

Dunne was educated at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

and received a

Bachelor of Civil Law Bachelor of Civil Law (abbreviated BCL or B.C.L.; ) is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. The BCL originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge; at Oxford, the BCL contin ...

degree and then subsequently studied at 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 ...

. She was called to the Bar in 1977. She had a broad practice, encompassing family, commercial, chancery and banking law and defamation law proceedings. In 1986, she appeared on '' The Late Late Show'' with Harry Whelehan in a simulated court argument to advocate a vote in favour of the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. She co-signed a letter in 1983 opposing the Eighth Amendment. She became 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 in 2004.

Judicial career

Circuit Court

Dunne was appointed a Judge of the

in 1996. She was primarily a judge on the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. She also heard cases involving personal injuries and employment law.

High Court

She became a Judge of the High Court in 2004. Dunne was the chairperson of the Referendum Commission established for the 32nd Amendment Bill 2013 and 33rd Amendment of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

Supreme Court

She was appointed to the Supreme Court 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 nomination of 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 July 2013.

Personal life

She is married to James Dwyer, a barrister. Their two children Daniel and Lucy are both barristers.

References

1956 births Living people Irish barristers Judges of the Supreme Court of Ireland Alumni of University College Dublin Irish women judges Circuit Court (Ireland) judges Lawyers from County Roscommon High Court judges (Ireland) Chairpersons of the Referendum Commission Alumni of King's Inns 20th-century Irish judges 21st-century Irish judges 21st-century Irish women lawyers {{Ireland-law-bio-stub