Retirement of Ms Justice Marie Baker

On 15 April, Ms Justice Marie Baker retired as a judge of the Supreme Court. Ms Justice Baker had served as a member of the Supreme Court since 2019. Before that, she was a judge of the Court of Appeal (2018-19) and a judge of the High Court (2014-18). During her time as a judge of the Supreme Court, Ms Justice Baker was the assigned judge for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018. In 2023, Ms Justice Baker was nominated to chair the Electoral Commission.

The Chief Justice paid tribute to Ms Justice Baker, commenting that when he asked members of the Court to describe Ms Justice Baker:

"...the words used [were] instructive: instinctively generous; intuitively pragmatic and someone who always sought to see the individual involved, not just with the litigants and lawyers who appeared before her, but also with her colleagues; philosopher; thinker; talker; mediator; incorrigible optimist; gardener; chef; walker and friend. The judgments of Baker J. will be consulted for some time to come. But there are many, many more judgments which [Baker J.] influenced for the better."

Tribute remarks were also delivered by Rossa Fanning SC, Attorney General; Sara Phelan SC, Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland; Barry McCarthy, President of the Law Society; Angela Denning, CEO of the Courts Service; Kevin O’Neill, Secretary to the Judicial Council; and John Mahon, Supreme Court Registrar.