Richard Johnson (judge)

Richard Johnson (born 27 October 1937) was the President of the Irish High Court from November 2006 until October 2009. He was the second most senior Irish judge after the Chief Justice John L. Murray.

He was also under the terms of the Constitution of Ireland by virtue of that office an ex-officio member of the Supreme Court. In the absence of the Chief Justice, he acted as a member of the Presidential Commission.

Johnson was born in Tralee, County Kerry and studied law at University College Dublin (UCD). He qualified as a barrister at the King's Inns in 1960. He practised on the South Western Circuit (Kerry, Limerick and Clare) until he became Senior Counsel in 1977. As a Senior Counsel he practised on the Munster Circuit and in Dublin until 1987. He was appointed to the High Court in 1987. His father was a district court judge for a number of years and his son and daughter are barristers. The Government nominated Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns on 7 October 2009.

After his retirement as President, he gave an interview to the media in which he suggested the legislature should revisit the issue of whether the death penalty should be allowed as punishment for particularly serious crimes, such as murder committed in the course of armed robbery. Limerick Mayor Kevin Kiely supported the proposal as a response to the continuing increase in murders in Ireland.