District Court Judge warns press over 'snide remarks'

A District Court Judge has warned what he described as the "Dublin media" that he will "sue the pants off them" if they publish any more "snide remarks" about him. Speaking during a bail application at Clones District Court on Friday, Judge Sean MacBride said he was the "best qualified judge in the country" when he was appointed, and had been the only district judge in Ireland with an LLM (Master of Laws) degree at that time. Referring to "snide remarks that were made about me by certain persons in the Dublin media", the outspoken judge said newspapers would have to be "very careful" about what they publish in the future. Having reminded the court of his legal qualifications, including the fact that he was the youngest third-level lecturer in Ireland while lecturing at University College Dublin when he was 23 years old, and also referring to his achievements in athletics in which he had represented Ireland, Judge MacBride said he wanted to remind the Dublin press that he had twice been recommended by the independent Judicial Appointments Commission for the position of judge, in 1998 and again in 1999. He wanted "no more cheap nonsense" from the Dublin press, and if they thought they were funny they were not. They were in fact at the "lowest level of the gutter when they start attacking the judiciary", and he was not going to tolerate it anymore. "If there's any more snide remarks in the media about me, whether it's in the Irish Times, the Irish News, or any other paper, I will instruct my lawyers to sue the pants off them," he said, adding that he was very competent at his job and would continue to administer justice in his district of Cavan and Monaghan without fear or favour, affection or ill-will towards anybody. Pointing out that he was also a member of the New York Bar and an attorney and counsellor at law in America, Judge MacBride said that while most journalists were fair, there had been "a number of exceptions". But he was not going to tolerate any attacks on his performance as a judge, his personal integrity, or any "smartass remarks" in newspapers. He wanted to remind the press that he had taken three successful libel actions last year and had donated the monies to charity. The judge was given a round of applause from the body of the courtroom when he finished by stating, "It's time they put up, or shut up and leave me alone."