Michael MacGrath
Michael MacGrath is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal since July 2024. He previously served as a Judge of the High Court from 2018 to 2024. Early lifeMacGrath attended University College Dublin from where he received BCL and LLM degrees.[1] He subsequently attended the King's Inns.[2] Legal careerHe was called to the Bar in 1984 and became a senior counsel in 2000.[2] His practice was predominantly focused on civil law and commercial law.[3] He was counsel for the Barr Tribunal and he represented the Attorney General of Ireland and the public interest at the Moriarty Tribunal.[4][5] In addition to his legal practice, he was the chairperson of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission between 2005 and 2009,[2] and was the chair of the Mining Board from 2013.[6] MacGrath was a tutor in law at University College Dublin.[1] He was the editor of a text on engineering law in 1989.[7] He has acted as the external examiner for Tort law the King's Inns since 2009.[3] Judicial careerMacGrath was appointed to the High Court in January 2018.[8] He was appointment came following a vacancy created at the retirement of Judge Henry Abbott.[9] He has presided over cases involving commercial law,[10] regulatory law,[11] judicial review,[12] employment law,[13] and medical negligence.[14] In the midst of a judicial review hearing in 2019, a lay litigant unsuccessfully attempted to effect a citizen's arrest against him.[15] In 2019, he decided against the Friends of the Irish Environment which sought to challenge governmental policy on climate change and reducing carbon emissions.[16] The decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Ireland with a hearing in June 2020.[17] He was elevated as a judge of the Court of Appeal in July 2024, and was appointed by President Michael D. Higgins. References
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