John L. Murray

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John L. Murray (born 1943) was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ireland in July 2004, replacing Ronan Keane.

John Murray was born in Limerick in 1943 and educated at Crescent College, in Limerick and then at University College Dublin and at the King's Inns. He was President of the Union of Students in Ireland in 1966/67. He qualified as a barrister in 1967 and had a successful law practice dealing with commercial, civil, and constitutional law.

He has served on the Supreme Court since 1999 and was a member of the European Court of Justice since 1992. He served the Fianna Fáil government as Attorney General of Ireland from August 17 - December 14, 1982. The Taoiseach, Charles Haughey appointed him as Attorney General after his predecessor, Patrick Connolly, resigned abruptly over the GUBU scandal, when a murderer Malcolm McArthur was arrested in Connolly's Dalkey flat.

His next term in office as Attorney General extended from March 11, 1987 to September 25, 1991. In 1988 he refused to allow the extradition of Fr. Patrick Ryan to Britain on explosives charges dealing with the Provisional IRA on the basis that the trial he would be given would not be fair to due excessive media coverage.

He is married to Gabrielle Walsh, daughter of former Supreme Court judge Brian Walsh, and they have two children.

Preceded by: Patrick Connolly	Attorney General of Ireland 1982	Succeeded by: Peter Sutherland
Preceded by: John Rogers	Attorney General of Ireland 1987 - 1991	Succeeded by: Harry Whelehan