Mary Faherty
{{Short description|Irish judge (born 1960)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = The Hon. Ms. Justice
| name = Mary Faherty
| image =
| office = Judge of the Court of Appeal
| term_start = 4 November 2019
| term_end =
| nominator = Government of Ireland
| appointer = Michael D. Higgins
| office1 = Judge of the High Court
| term_start1 = 30 October 2014
| term_end1 = 4 November 2019
| nominator1 = Government of Ireland
| appointer1 = Michael D. Higgins
| office2 = Judge of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal
| term_start2 = 28 January 2011
| term_end2 = 30 June 2016
| nominator2 = Government of Ireland
| appointer2 = United Nations General Assembly
| office3 = Judge of the Circuit Court
| term_start3 = 21 June 2002
| term_end3 = 30 October 2014
| nominator3 = Government of Ireland
| appointer3 = Mary McAleese
| birth_name = Mary Faherty
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|1|16|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Galway, Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Irish
| spouse =
| children =
| relations =
| education =
| alma_mater = {{Ubl|University College Galway|University of Freiburg|University College Dublin|King's Inns}}
|}}
Mary Faherty (born 16 January 1960{{cite web |title=UN General Assembly: Report of the Internal Justice Council |url=https://undocs.org/pdf?symbol=en/A/63/489 |website=undocs.org |accessdate=12 May 2020}}) is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal since November 2019. She previously served as a Judge of the High Court, a Judge of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal from 2011 to 2016 and a Judge of the Circuit Court from 2002 to 2014.
She began her career as a barrister and served as the Chairperson of the Employment Appeals Tribunal. She was subsequently appointed to the bench of the Circuit Court and the Mahon Tribunal, before being elevated to the High Court. She was a member of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal between 2011 and 2016, serving as its president from 2013 to 2014.
Early career
Faherty was born in 1960. She first studied a BA in German and Legal Science at University College Galway, graduating in 1982, and spent the academic year between 1980 and 1981 undertaking German Studies at the University of Freiburg. She subsequently obtained an LLB from UCG in 1984. The university awarded her its award for Law, Public Service and Government in 2006.{{cite web |title=NUI Galway Alumni Awards announced |url=https://www.nuigalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/news-archive/2006/january2006/nui-galway-alumni-awards-announced.html |website=www.nuigalway.ie |accessdate=12 May 2020 |language=en}} She attended the King's Inns and was called to the Bar in 1986.{{cite web |title=Appointments to the Court of Appeal |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/99a274-appointments-to-the-court-of-appeal/ |website=www.gov.ie |accessdate=12 May 2020}} She undertook further study at University College Dublin in arbitration.
She became a Senior Counsel in 2001 and was also called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1996.{{cite web |title=Courts Service News |url=http://www.supremecourt.ie/Courts.ie/library3.nsf/(WebFiles)/1179C0420F9578E080257DAF005A1D71/$FILE/CSN%20Volume%2016,%20Issue%206%20December%202014%203.pdf |accessdate=12 May 2020}}
She joined the Employment Appeals Tribunal in 1989 as a Vice Chairperson, becoming the chairperson in 1995. She was reappointed in 1998 to serve a five-year term through to 2002.{{cite news |last1=Oliver |first1=Emmet |title=Bank of Ireland appoints commercial finance director |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/bank-of-ireland-appoints-commercial-finance-director-1.132835 |accessdate=12 May 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=6 February 1998 |language=en}}
Judicial career
= Circuit Court =
Faherty was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2002. She became a judge in order to sit as a member of the Tribunal of Inquiry Into Certain Planning Matters and Payments. Her, Gerald Keys and Alan Mahon's appointments required the law to be changed to increase the number of Circuit Court judges.{{cite news |last1=Cullen |first1=Paul |title=Three barristers to join tribunal |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/three-barristers-to-join-tribunal-1.1051038 |accessdate=12 May 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=20 February 2002 |language=en}} In 2007, while serving on the Tribunal, she noted that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had provided "polar opposite" explanations of why he withdrew £50,000 from an account.{{cite news |title=Account 'polar opposite' of earlier explanation |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/account-polar-opposite-of-earlier-explanation-1.964097 |accessdate=12 May 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=21 September 2007 |language=en}} The final public sitting of the Tribunal was in December 2008.{{cite news |title=Timeline |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/timeline-1.486876 |accessdate=12 May 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=23 March 2012 |language=en}}
= United Nations Appeals Tribunal =
She joined the United Nations Appeals Tribunal in January 2011 and was Second Vice President between 2012 and 2013.{{cite web |title=UN Internal Justice System |url=https://www.un.org/en/internaljustice/unat/judges.shtml |website=www.un.org |accessdate=12 May 2020 |language=EN}} She subsequently served as the President of the Tribunal between July 2013 and June 2014. She completed her term on the Tribunal in 2016.
= High Court =
She was appointed to the High Court in October 2014.{{cite web |title=Annual Report 2014 |url=http://www.jaab.ie/en/JAAB/Annual%20Report%202014%20Final%20Version.pdf/Files/Annual%20Report%202014%20Final%20Version.pdf |publisher=Judicial Appointments Advisory Board |accessdate=12 May 2020}} She heard cases involving receivership,{{cite news |title=Receiver wants fashion outlet owners jailed |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/receiver-wants-fashion-outlet-owners-jailed-31484282.html |accessdate=12 May 2020 |work=independent |language=en}} damages claims,{{cite news |title=Cork man whose convictions were quashed brings 'unprecedented' action for damages |url=https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/cork-man-whose-convictions-were-quashed-brings-unprecedented-action-for-damages-856623.html |accessdate=12 May 2020 |work=Breaking News |date=20 July 2018}} actions under the Aarhus Convention,{{cite news |title=Right to Know group take High Court action over access to cabinet papers on climate change |url=https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/right-to-know-group-take-high-court-action-over-access-to-cabinet-papers-on-climate-change-795715.html |accessdate=12 May 2020 |work=Breaking News |date=29 June 2017}} and a challenge to the constitutionality of a Central Bank of Ireland inquiry.{{cite news |title=Central Bank inquiry into INBS challenged |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2015/0827/723953-high-court-inbs/ |accessdate=12 May 2020 |work=RTÉ News |date=27 August 2015 |language=en}}
= Court of Appeal =
Following a change of legislation to increase the number of judges of the Court of Appeal, Faherty was nominated to be elevated to that court in 2019.{{cite news |last1=Quann |first1=Jack |title=Government agrees to appoint six new judges to Court of Appeal |url=https://www.newstalk.com/news/government-agrees-appoint-six-new-judges-court-appeal-913733 |accessdate=12 May 2020 |work=Newstalk}} She was appointed in November 2019.{{cite news |title=President Appoints Judges To The Court Of Appeal |url=https://president.ie/en/diary/details/president-appoints-judges-to-the-court-of-appeal |accessdate=12 May 2020 |work=president.ie |language=en}}
References
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Category:Alumni of the University of Galway
Category:Alumni of University College Dublin
Category:Judges of the Court of Appeal (Ireland)
Category:High Court judges (Ireland)
Category:21st-century Irish judges
Category:20th-century Irish lawyers
Category:University of Freiburg alumni
Category:Alumni of King's Inns