Retirement of Lord Kerr

Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore retires today (30 September) as a Justice of the Supreme Court. He was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1970 and became a High Court Judge in 1993. He served as Lord Chief Justice between 2004 and 2009 before joining the Supreme Court in October 2009 as the last Lord Of Appeal in Ordinary, appointed in the House of Lords, prior to the creation of the Supreme Court.

Commenting on Lord Kerr’s retirement, Chair of the Bar Council Bernard Brady QC: “Lord Kerr has had a most distinguished legal career and was notably motivated by a sense of duty to serve in judicial office at a difficult time in Northern Ireland’s history. Everyone at the Bar wishes Lord Kerr a long and happy retirement as he steps down as the longest serving judge in the Supreme Court’s history and the first to come from Northern Ireland. His countless judgments convey a real sensitivity to the weighty responsibility that judges have in scrutinising executive decisions involving individual freedoms and in developing the common law to respond to contemporary issues and values; he has undoubtedly left a significant legacy to the court’s work and to the law in the Northern Ireland.

Throughout this time he also regularly gave his time undertaking outreach and engagement events in Northern Ireland, particularly encouraging and supporting members of the Young Bar in the early stages of their careers. On behalf of all colleagues at the Bar, I wish him all the best for his retirement”.

Pictured: Lord Kerr and Lady Hale during the Supreme Court’s historic first visit to Belfast in 2018.