Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission

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The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) recommends candidates for appointment as judges of the Appeal Court and to all judicial offices listed in Schedule 14 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002.^[1]

The JAC is a non-departmental public body which was created on 3 April 2006 through the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002.

The Appropriate Authority (either the Lord Chancellor, Lord Chief Justice or Senior President of Tribunals) can accept or reject a JAC recommendation, or ask the Commission to reconsider it. If the Appropriate Authority rejects a recommendation or asks for reconsideration they must provide written reasons to the JAC.

The Act also established the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary of Northern Ireland.

Under the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act Parliament gave the JACNI the following statutory duties:

• to select candidates solely on merit;
• to select only people of good character; and
• to have regard to the need to encourage diversity in the range of persons available for judicial selection.