Mary Ellen Ring Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Hon. Ms. Justice
Mary Ellen Ring
Office:Judge of the High Court
Term Start:9 July 2015
Nominator:Government of Ireland
Appointer:Michael D. Higgins
Office1:Chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
Term Start1:August 2015
Term End1:11 December 2021
Predecessor1:Simon O'Brien
Successor1:Rory MacCabe
Nominator1:Government of Ireland
Office2:Judge of the Circuit Court
Term Start2:20 April 2012
Term End2:9 July 2015
Nominator2:Government of Ireland
Appointer2:Michael D. Higgins
Birth Date:10 April 1955
Birth Place:Norwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Education:Norwich Free Academy

Mary Ellen Ring (born 1955)[1] is an American-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.

Early career

Ring was born in and grew up in Norwich, Connecticut in the United States with her Irish parents.[2] [3] She attended the Norwich Free Academy, graduating in 1973, before moving to Ireland. She studied Politics and Philosophy at University College Dublin and law at Dublin Institute of Technology. She studied at the King's Inns and became a barrister in 1985. She became a senior counsel in 2002. Her practice was primarily focused on criminal law, administrative law and child law.[4] She was counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions in the 2004 trial against Judge Brian Curtin for possession child pornography[5] and in the 2010 case against Eamonn Lillis for the manslaughter of his wife Celine Cawley.[6]

She was the chair of the Irish Women Lawyers' Association.[7] The organisation awarded her the title of Woman of the Year in 2018. She co-founded the Children's Legal Centre and the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development. She was appointed to the Advisory Group on Criminal Law and Procedure in 1996 by Minister for Justice Nora Owen.[8]

Judicial career

Circuit Court

Ring was appointed to the Circuit Court in April 2012.[9] 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".

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]

High Court

She was appointed to the High Court in July 2015.[14]

GSOC

Ring became chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission in August 2015. 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]

Notes and References

  1. News: Minihan . Mary . Government appoints 12 new judges to courts . 13 December 2021 . The Irish Times . en.
  2. News: Florin . Karen . Justice Mary Ellen Ring, from Norwich, sits on Ireland's high court . 13 December 2021 . The Day . 18 August 2019.
  3. News: Forget glass ceilings, build new houses says judge . 29 June 2019 . Law Society Gazette . 9 October 2018.
  4. News: Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring to be named Woman of the Year . 29 June 2019 . Irish Legal News . 19 September 2018.
  5. News: Coulter . Carol . Counsel opens case against Judge Curtin . 29 June 2019 . The Irish Times . 22 April 2004.
  6. News: Newenham . Pamela . Lillis sentencing hearing adjourned . The Irish Times . 4 February 2010.
  7. News: Gallagher . Conor . Judge causes consternation – by working too hard . 29 June 2019 . Irish Independent . 19 May 2013.
  8. Web site: Oireachtas . Houses of the . Written Answers. - Working Groups and Committees. – Dáil Éireann (27th Dáil) – Wednesday, 5 Mar 1997 – Houses of the Oireachtas . www.oireachtas.ie . 3 May 2020 . en-ie . 5 March 1997.
  9. Web site: Justice Mary Ellen Ring . GSOC . 29 June 2019.
  10. Web site: Appointments to the Circuit and District Courts . Irish Government News Service . 29 June 2019.
  11. News: Gallagher . Conor . O’Keeffe . Cormac . Former judge jailed for deception of friend . 29 June 2019 . Irish Examiner . 29 November 2012.
  12. News: Jury discharged in the trial of Sean FitzPatrick . 29 June 2019 . The Irish Times . 2 June 2015.
  13. News: Ivor Callely jailed for five months for fraudulently claiming expenses . 29 June 2019 . RTÉ News . 28 July 2014.
  14. Web site: President appoints Mary Ellen Ring as a Judge of the High Court . President of Ireland . 29 June 2019.
  15. Web site: Appointments to Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission . Irish Government News Service . 29 June 2019.
  16. News: Clifford . Michael . GSOC head criticises Garda disciplinary 'maze' . 29 June 2019 . Irish Examiner . 5 March 2018.
  17. News: McMahon . Aine . Gsoc authorised to expand staff by 42 . 29 June 2019 . The Irish Times . 7 November 2018.
  18. News: Reynolds . Paul . McAllister . Edel . Garda superintendents call for clarification from GSOC chair . 29 June 2019 . RTÉ News . 8 May 2019.
  19. Web site: Cabinet approves nomination for Chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission . www.gov.ie . 13 December 2021 . en.