Brian Walsh was an Irish supreme court and European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...

 justice and barrister.

Described as the "outstanding legal reforming mind of his generation" by Prof. JJ Lee, Walsh is seen as a reforming judge who sat on such key cases as Byrne v Ireland (1972) - unconstitutionality of state immunity in tort; McGee v Attorney General (1974) - right to marital privacy and contraceptives; Crotty v An Taoiseach

Crotty v. An Taoiseach

Crotty v. An Taoiseach was a legal action taken in 1987 in the High Court of Ireland and in the Supreme Court on appeal by Raymond Crotty, historian and economist against the Irish Government...

(1987) - ratification of EU treaties.

Outside the bench, Walsh was the president of the Law Reform Commission

Law Reform Commission (Ireland)

The Irish Law Reform Commission was established by legislation in 1975.It is an independent body which examines areas of the law and proposes reforms or changes. Most of their recommendations are adopted through legislation....

 from 1975–85 and led the Irish delegation to the Anglo-Irish Law Enforcement Commission.