District Court confusion

mike kelly

For many years Judge Garavan entertained Galwegians with his wit and sharp tongue. Now it seems that Judge Mary Fahy is going down the eccentric road too with her comments about Tesco . Is it time to have judges elected by the people?

mikemac

Judge Fahy has been been doing this since she started.

And fond of handing out tongue lashings to the people before her, an iron lady.
And makes reading the weekly Court report pretty entertaining.

She is in a secure position so realy it becomes her court
Not the first judge to come out and make these comments, I believe a judge in Kerry had a similar "back to where they came from" rant a few years ago

mike kelly

Well it's actually the Indo that says "Send thieves back to serve time in land they came from ". Judge Mary wants Tesco to set up their own court system it seems.

District Courts across the country are full of eccentric characters, from bizarely inconsistent judges to tipstaff who expect 100 euro from publicans each time their licence is renewed. And the public sits back and continues to finance this farce.

Fozzie Bear

mike kelly wrote: »

Is it time to have judges elected by the people?

Considering the track record "the people" have of electing politicians for the last 20 years? Hmmmm...... yes, why yes that would be a great idea. Who knows better then "the people" how well qualified and experienced a potential Judge is? I mean we did continually elect individuals like Bertie Ahearn, Charlie Haughey, Beverley Cooper-Flynn, Ivor Callely, Michael Lowry, Raymond Burke, Liam Lawlor (to name a few) to rule us, make our laws and then bury the lot of us up to our eyes in debt for generations to come. I cannot possibly see what harm could come from us electing the people that enforce our laws and hand down sentences to the scum of our society.

Xiney

Ooooh just wait until the republicans figure out that Judge Mary Fahy has suggested that a UK company sets up their own court in the Republic!!

mike kelly

Xiney wrote: »

Ooooh just wait until the republicans figure out that Judge Mary Fahy has suggested that a UK company sets up their own court in the Republic!!

What if Tesco subcontracted out their court system to "former republicans"?

Seriously, is it time to bring in regular mental health checks for district court judges? It can't be easy lstening day in day out to the same standard excuses for petty crime - "my client has a drink problem but he is now undergoing treatment with the support of his young family" - day in day out.

I think the district court should actually be televised live so people can see how ludicrous it really is.

Fey!

I think that maybe people should consider the source of this information - it's KEVIN MYERS in the IRISH INDEPENDENT; can we really take information from either source as 100%, not to mention the 2 combined?

Personally I like having Mary Fahy sitting at the bench. The only ones who really don't like her seem to be the ones likely to be brought in front of her!!

mike kelly

Fey! wrote: »

I think that maybe people should consider the source of this information - it's KEVIN MYERS in the IRISH INDEPENDENT; can we really take information from either source as 100%, not to mention the 2 combined?

Personally I like having Mary Fahy sitting at the bench. The only ones who really don't like her seem to be the ones likely to be brought in front of her!!

In a real democracy Mary Fahy would be expected to make a public statement on this issue

Wompa1

I guess she's ok, she's no Judge Garavan though. He was great. I'd read the Advertiser every week just to see what he had to say during his trials.

mike kelly

Judge Garavan was a legend, I would have preferred to see him on the stage though rather than in the courthouse.

biko

mike kelly wrote: »

Is it time to have judges elected by the people?

You can choose between "God, no" and "Hell, no"
Being a judge isn't a popularity contest, like politicians.

swe_fi

I like the way the district court judge works, even if some comments and rulings can seem a bit outrageous objectively.

From what I have seen/heard the court (Mary) is quite lenient and applies common sense / spirit of the law as opposed to coming down hard, letter of the law etc unless necessary.

I think this could be a contributing factor to that Galway is & feels a safe place.

mike kelly

biko wrote: »

You can choose between "God, no" and "Hell, no"
Being a judge isn't a popularity contest, like politicians.

Judges are people just like you and me, between 1916 and 1922 we had citizens courts in ireland and they worked well

Head The Wall

Then why [modedit]are repeat grievous offenders released to cause more pain and suffering to people[/modedit]

Courts need to be tougher as criminals know there are very small consequences for their actions but if you or I don't pay out TV license it's a different story

Dr McManus

mike kelly wrote: »

For many years Judge Garavan entertained Galwegians with his wit and sharp tongue. Now it seems that Judge Mary Fahy is going down the eccentric road too with her comments about Tesco . Is it time to have judges elected by the people?

Judge Mary Fahy is a legend.
I would like to shake her by the hand and buy her a pint.
I love reading her comments in the courts each week in the Galway Advertiser.
I like her no nonsense approach.

bagels

I saw Judge Mary Fahy in action in Portlaoise District Court several years ago where she took a very dim view of drunkeness.;)

nuac

District Courts get thru a huge volume of varied work. Judges and all others who work there do their best to deal with a wide range of problems - various types of crime, family law matters, child custody issues, civil disputes, pub and dancehall licensing etc

In the higher courts the same variety of work does not have to be dealt with in the normal day, and there is usually more time for consideration of issues.

To be appointed a district judge one must be a practising lawyer with at least ten years experience. Anybody in practice, especially as a solicitor, has practical life experience and knowledge, and has not been in an ivory tower.

I would not agree with an election system for judges. In the USA there have been suggestions that judges seeking re-election may be influenced by political rather than legal considerations.

Different judges have different traits. Some occasionally make controversial remarks which achieve media attention. Spend a full day in the District COurt before criticising.

btw Mike Kelly, there are no tipstaffs in the Districts COurts and no tips of €100 or any sum are given to anybody on renewal of licences in the District COurt.

snubbleste

Re: tips
It is customary to tip (a non-taxable sum) the clerk in the court when renewing/applying for an alcohol licence, otherwise the paperwork may get lost or something.
This is an unacceptable custom that should be done away with.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/judges-assistants-lose-their-euro100-tips-670036.html
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/2010-08-17.html

Head The Wall

It's nearly as bad as tipping the city council gravediggers to do their job, bloody PS workers abusing their power

LawnMower Man

If we cut there hands off like in Saudi Arabia and Dubai I think the stealing would definitely decrease. In Dubai you can leave your car running with the keys in it and go shopping and come back and it will still be there.....