Susan Denham
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The Hon. Mrs. Justice Susan Denham |
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|---|---|
Denham in 2014
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| 11th Chief Justice of Ireland | |
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Assumed office 25 July 2011 |
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| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Mary McAleese |
| Preceded by | John L. Murray |
| Justice of the Supreme Court | |
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Assumed office 1 May 1992 |
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| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Mary Robinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Susan Mary Gageby 7 May 1945 Sandymount, Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Spouse(s) | Brian Denham |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Alexandra College |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | |
| Religion | Church of Ireland |
Susan Mary Denham (née Gageby; born 7 May 1945) is the 11th and current Chief Justice of Ireland. She was appointed by the President of Ireland on 25 July 2011. She is the first woman to hold the position and is the longest-serving member of the court.
Susan Gageby was born in Dublin in 1945 and educated at Alexandra College, Dublin; Trinity College, Dublin; the King's Inns; and the Law School of Columbia University, New York City (LL.M. 1972). She is the daughter of the former editor of The Irish Times, Douglas Gageby; and the sister of leading criminal barrister Patrick Gageby. She is married to paediatrician Dr Brian Denham and they have four children. From 1996 to 2010, Denham was a Pro-Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin. She is a member of the Church of Ireland. Her maternal grandfather Seán Lester served as the third and final Secretary-General of the League of Nations from 1940 to 1946.
She was called to the bar in 1971 and became a Senior Counsel in 1987. She worked on the Midland circuit until 1979, following which she was based in Dublin. She was involved in a number of leading cases while a junior barrister and a Senior Counsel particularly in the area of judicial review. She became a High Court judge in 1991. In 1992 she was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court.
From 1995–98, she chaired the Working Group on a Courts Commission, which was responsible for a significant reform of the organisation of the courts since the foundation of the state. It led to the establishment of the Courts Service. She was on the Interim Board of the Court Service and served on the Board of the Court Service from its inception, and chaired the board from 2001–04.
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