Courts / Galway / Report

Seamus Woulfe sits on same panel as judge he had 'upsetting and traumatic' meeting with

Date
2021-02-15
Stage
Appeal
Primary locality
Clifden
County
Galway

Summary

Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe sat on a Court of Appeal panel with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy on 15 February 2021, the first time he had appeared as a judge since a November 2020 letter from Chief Justice Frank Clarke barred him from sitting until February 2021 due to his attendance at a golf event that breached Covid‑19 guidelines. The panel heard no cases that day; the judges were present via remote video links. Woulfe had previously complained that a meeting on 2 October 2020 with Birmingham and two other senior judges had been "upsetting and traumatic," claiming they had pre‑judged him before he could explain himself. He said the stress from that meeting caused a serious medical condition, preventing him from attending a subsequent meeting with Clarke.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Seamus Woulfe sits on same panel as judge he had 'upsetting and traumatic' meeting with. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

Case subjects

Unnamed accused

Appellant

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Court of Appeal
  • Supreme Court
Facility
  • Station House
Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Appeal

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