Mary Ellen Ring | |
---|---|
Judge of the High Court | |
Assumed office 9 July 2015 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | Michael D. Higgins |
Chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission | |
In office August 2015 – 11 December 2021 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Preceded by | Simon O'Brien |
Succeeded by | Rory MacCabe |
Judge of the Circuit Court | |
In office 20 April 2012 – 9 July 2015 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | Michael D. Higgins |
Personal details | |
Born | Norwich, Connecticut, U.S. | 10 April 1955
Nationality | Irish |
Education | Norwich Free Academy |
Alma mater | |
Mary Ellen Ring (born 1955) [1] is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the High Court since July 2015. She previously served as Chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission from 2015 and 2021 and a Judge of the Circuit Court from 2012 to 2015.
Ring was born in and grew up in Norwich, Connecticut, with Irish parents. [2] [3] She attended the Norwich Free Academy, graduating in 1973, before moving to Ireland. [2] She studied Politics and Philosophy at University College Dublin and law at Dublin Institute of Technology. [4] She studied at the King's Inns and became a barrister in 1985. She became a senior counsel in 2002. [4] Her practice was primarily focused on criminal law, administrative law and child law. [5] She was counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions in the 2004 trial against Judge Brian Curtin for possession child pornography [6] and in the 2010 case against Eamonn Lillis for the manslaughter of his wife Celine Cawley. [7]
She was the chair of the Irish Women Lawyers' Association. [8] The organisation awarded her the title of Woman of the Year in 2018. [5] She co-founded the Children's Legal Centre and the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development. [4] [3] She was appointed to the Advisory Group on Criminal Law and Procedure in 1996 by Minister for Justice Nora Owen. [9]
Ring was appointed to the Circuit Court in April 2012. [4] She was assigned to the Dublin circuit. [10] She initially presided over Court Five, which was considered "by far the busiest circuit court in the country". [8]
She was the trial judge in case which found Heather Perrin, a judge of the District Court, guilty of deception. [11] She presided over the first trial of Seán FitzPatrick, related to an alleged failure to disclose loans to Anglo Irish Bank's external auditors at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. [12] She sentenced former Senator Ivor Callely to five months in prison in 2014 arising out of his filing of fraudulent expenses. [13]
She was appointed to the High Court in July 2015. [14]
Ring became chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission in August 2015. [4] She was reappointed in 2016. [15] She has been critical of the disciplinary procedures within the Garda Síochána. [16] She has sought to increase the numbers of personnel within GSOC since her appointment. [17] She was critical of the police force in May 2018 at a hearing of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality for not disclosing some internal investigations into gardaí to GSOC. [18]
Her term finished on 11 December 2021. [19]
Mary Ellen Ring | |
---|---|
Judge of the High Court | |
Assumed office 9 July 2015 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | Michael D. Higgins |
Chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission | |
In office August 2015 – 11 December 2021 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Preceded by | Simon O'Brien |
Succeeded by | Rory MacCabe |
Judge of the Circuit Court | |
In office 20 April 2012 – 9 July 2015 | |
Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
Appointed by | Michael D. Higgins |
Personal details | |
Born | Norwich, Connecticut, U.S. | 10 April 1955
Nationality | Irish |
Education | Norwich Free Academy |
Alma mater | |
Mary Ellen Ring (born 1955) [1] is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the High Court since July 2015. She previously served as Chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission from 2015 and 2021 and a Judge of the Circuit Court from 2012 to 2015.
Ring was born in and grew up in Norwich, Connecticut, with Irish parents. [2] [3] She attended the Norwich Free Academy, graduating in 1973, before moving to Ireland. [2] She studied Politics and Philosophy at University College Dublin and law at Dublin Institute of Technology. [4] She studied at the King's Inns and became a barrister in 1985. She became a senior counsel in 2002. [4] Her practice was primarily focused on criminal law, administrative law and child law. [5] She was counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions in the 2004 trial against Judge Brian Curtin for possession child pornography [6] and in the 2010 case against Eamonn Lillis for the manslaughter of his wife Celine Cawley. [7]
She was the chair of the Irish Women Lawyers' Association. [8] The organisation awarded her the title of Woman of the Year in 2018. [5] She co-founded the Children's Legal Centre and the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development. [4] [3] She was appointed to the Advisory Group on Criminal Law and Procedure in 1996 by Minister for Justice Nora Owen. [9]
Ring was appointed to the Circuit Court in April 2012. [4] She was assigned to the Dublin circuit. [10] She initially presided over Court Five, which was considered "by far the busiest circuit court in the country". [8]
She was the trial judge in case which found Heather Perrin, a judge of the District Court, guilty of deception. [11] She presided over the first trial of Seán FitzPatrick, related to an alleged failure to disclose loans to Anglo Irish Bank's external auditors at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. [12] She sentenced former Senator Ivor Callely to five months in prison in 2014 arising out of his filing of fraudulent expenses. [13]
She was appointed to the High Court in July 2015. [14]
Ring became chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission in August 2015. [4] She was reappointed in 2016. [15] She has been critical of the disciplinary procedures within the Garda Síochána. [16] She has sought to increase the numbers of personnel within GSOC since her appointment. [17] She was critical of the police force in May 2018 at a hearing of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality for not disclosing some internal investigations into gardaí to GSOC. [18]
Her term finished on 11 December 2021. [19]