Timothy Sullivan (Irish judge)
Encyclopedia
Timothy Sullivan was Chief Justice of Ireland
from 1936 to 1946.
He was born in Dublin, the third son of Timothy Daniel Sullivan
, a prominent Home Rule MP and Lord Mayor of Dublin
. Through his sister Anne who married Dr. Thomas Higgins he was the uncle of Kevin O'Higgins
and great-uncle of another Chief Justice, Tom O'Higgins
. His aunt had married Timothy Michael Healy
, the first Governor-General of the Irish Free State
, and Sullivan in turn married their daughter. . He was called to the Bar in 1895.
His strongly nationalist background made him acceptable to the new Government of the Irish Free State as a member of the new judiciary and accordingly in 1924 he was appointed President of the High Court; in 1936 on the death of Hugh Kennedy
he was appointed Chief Justice and served until he reached retirement age in 1946.
His most notable judgment was the upholding by the Supreme Court in 1940 of the Constitutionality of the Offences Against the State ( Amendment ) Bill which allowed for indefinite detention of suspected IRA members. An apparently casual remark of Sullivan that he was giving judgment " for the majority" caused controversy and led to the Second Constitutional amendment 1941 providing for a single judgment only in such cases. There was further controversy in the 1960s when an academic claimed that Sullivan had "packed" the Court in favour of the Government by persuading Mr. Justice Meredith to step down in favour of the President of the High Court.The claim seems to be unfounded: Sullivan was a firm believer in judicial independence, and in any case by 1940 any political sympathies he had were with the Opposition , not the Government.
His cousin Maurice Healy in " The Old Munster Circuit " portrays a kindly, serious young man; Mr. Justice MacKenzie in his memoirs " Lawful Occasions " recalled the much older Sullivan, then Chief Justice, as " an old-fashioned Irish gentleman, quiet living ".
In 1913 Sullivan married his cousin Maeve Healy, daughter of Timothy Healy. Maeve was an artists who painted the well-known portrait of her husband in his judicial robes. They had no children.
Chief Justice of Ireland
The Chief Justice of Ireland is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland.Under Constitution of Ireland, the Chief Justice of Ireland also occupies several positions ex officio, these include;* A possible judge of the High Court....
from 1936 to 1946.
He was born in Dublin, the third son of Timothy Daniel Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan was an Irish nationalist, journalist, politician and poet who wrote the Irish national hymn "God Save Ireland", in 1867...
, a prominent Home Rule MP and Lord Mayor of Dublin
Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin is the honorific title of the Chairman of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent is Labour Party Councillor Andrew Montague. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the...
. Through his sister Anne who married Dr. Thomas Higgins he was the uncle of Kevin O'Higgins
Kevin O'Higgins
Kevin Christopher O'Higgins was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Justice. He was part of early nationalist Sinn Féin, before going on to become a prominent member of Cumann na nGaedheal. O'Higgins initiated the An Garda Síochána police force...
and great-uncle of another Chief Justice, Tom O'Higgins
Tom O'Higgins
Thomas Francis O'Higgins was an Irish Fine Gael politician, a barrister and a judge.Tom O'Higgins was born in Cork in 1916. He was the son of Thomas F. O'Higgins and the nephew of Kevin O'Higgins...
. His aunt had married Timothy Michael Healy
Timothy Michael Healy
Timothy Michael Healy, KC , also known as Tim Healy, was an Irish nationalist politician, journalist, author, barrister and one of the most controversial Irish Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, the first Governor-General of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, and Sullivan in turn married their daughter. . He was called to the Bar in 1895.
His strongly nationalist background made him acceptable to the new Government of the Irish Free State as a member of the new judiciary and accordingly in 1924 he was appointed President of the High Court; in 1936 on the death of Hugh Kennedy
Hugh Kennedy
Hugh Kennedy was the only Attorney-General of Southern Ireland and the first Attorney-General of the Irish Free State, and later the first Chief Justice of the Irish Free State. As a member of the Irish Free State Constitution Commission, he was also one of the constitutional architects of the...
he was appointed Chief Justice and served until he reached retirement age in 1946.
His most notable judgment was the upholding by the Supreme Court in 1940 of the Constitutionality of the Offences Against the State ( Amendment ) Bill which allowed for indefinite detention of suspected IRA members. An apparently casual remark of Sullivan that he was giving judgment " for the majority" caused controversy and led to the Second Constitutional amendment 1941 providing for a single judgment only in such cases. There was further controversy in the 1960s when an academic claimed that Sullivan had "packed" the Court in favour of the Government by persuading Mr. Justice Meredith to step down in favour of the President of the High Court.The claim seems to be unfounded: Sullivan was a firm believer in judicial independence, and in any case by 1940 any political sympathies he had were with the Opposition , not the Government.
His cousin Maurice Healy in " The Old Munster Circuit " portrays a kindly, serious young man; Mr. Justice MacKenzie in his memoirs " Lawful Occasions " recalled the much older Sullivan, then Chief Justice, as " an old-fashioned Irish gentleman, quiet living ".
In 1913 Sullivan married his cousin Maeve Healy, daughter of Timothy Healy. Maeve was an artists who painted the well-known portrait of her husband in his judicial robes. They had no children.