Kevin Dixon (Attorney General)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Dixon was an Irish barrister and judge.
He was born in Dublin and educated at Belvedere and University College Dublin
. He was called to the Bar in 1926 and became a Senior Counsel
in 1940. He served as Attorney General
from 1942 to 1946 when he was appointed a judge of the High Court
where he served until his death in 1959.
He was generally considered the best Irish Chancery judge of his time with a particular knowledge of trade union law and the law of charitable bequests. Despite the inevitably dry subject matter of many of his judgements, some of them display a considerable sense of humour. He was the High Court judge in the celebrated Constitutional test case O'Byrne v Minister for Finance on the interpretation of the guarantee that a judge's salary shall not be reduced, a subject which remains controversial today. Dixon's ruling that notwithstanding the guarantee judges are liable to pay income tax was upheld by a majority of the Supreme Court. It was generally agreed that only his premature death prevented his promotion to the Supreme Court.
He was born in Dublin and educated at Belvedere and University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
. He was called to the Bar in 1926 and became a Senior Counsel
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
in 1940. He served as Attorney General
Attorney General of Ireland
The Attorney General is a constitutional officer who is the official adviser to the Government of Ireland in matters of law. He is in effect the chief law officer in Ireland. The Attorney General is not a member of the Government but does participate in cabinet meetings when invited and attends...
from 1942 to 1946 when he was appointed a judge of the High Court
High Court
The term High Court usually refers to the superior court of a country or state. In some countries, it is the highest court . In others, it is positioned lower in the hierarchy of courts The term High Court usually refers to the superior court (or supreme court) of a country or state. In some...
where he served until his death in 1959.
He was generally considered the best Irish Chancery judge of his time with a particular knowledge of trade union law and the law of charitable bequests. Despite the inevitably dry subject matter of many of his judgements, some of them display a considerable sense of humour. He was the High Court judge in the celebrated Constitutional test case O'Byrne v Minister for Finance on the interpretation of the guarantee that a judge's salary shall not be reduced, a subject which remains controversial today. Dixon's ruling that notwithstanding the guarantee judges are liable to pay income tax was upheld by a majority of the Supreme Court. It was generally agreed that only his premature death prevented his promotion to the Supreme Court.