Kevin Cross

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Kevin Cross
Judge of the High Court
In office
24 October 2011 – 18 November 2021
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMary McAleese
Personal details
Born1951 (age 72–73)
NationalityIrish
SpouseAlison Lindsay
Alma mater

Kevin Cross (born 1951[1]) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the High Court from 2011 to 2021.[2][3]

Early life[edit]

Cross attended Gonzaga College, University College Dublin and the King's Inns. He served as Auditor of the UCD L&H.[4] He became a barrister in 1975, and a senior counsel in 1997.[1] He has represented the Attorney General of Ireland, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin.[5][6][7]

Judicial career[edit]

Cross was appointed a High Court judge in October 2011.[8] He was in charge of the personal injuries list for the High Court.[9][10][11]

He presided over Morrissey v Health Service Executive, which arose out of the CervicalCheck cancer scandal. He held that screeners must have "absolute confidence" before definitively ruling out a health condition in a screening test.[12] This was subject to an appeal to the Supreme Court of Ireland due to the standard of confidence he applied.[13] The Supreme Court unanimously upheld his decision.[14] Cross criticised the response of some doctors to his decision, calling some commentary "hysterical".[15]

He served as Chairperson of the Referendum Commission for two concurrent referendums in 2015, the successful 34th Amendment and unsuccessful 35th Amendment Bill 2015 to the Constitution.[16]

He retired as a judge in November 2021 and stated he plans to undertake a PhD on John Philpot Curran.[17][18]

Personal life[edit]

He is married to Alison Lindsay.[19] Lindsay is a retired judge of the Circuit Court.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Appointments to the High Court". Irish Government News Service. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  2. ^ Hennessy, Michelle. "'She wants it to be over': Ruth Morrissey 'very upset' over State move to appeal CervicalCheck case". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Ruth Morrissey feels 'powerless' as €2.1m cancer award appealed". Independent.ie. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  4. ^ "The Gonzaga Record 1985". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Challenge on £475,000 from Christian Brothers site". The Irish Times. 1 December 2001. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Board's refusal of application challenged". The Irish Times. 17 June 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  7. ^ Donnellan, Eithne (4 September 2010). "× Doctors cleared as inquiry into wrong kidney's removal ends". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Two new High Court judges to fill vacancies". Irish Independent. 25 October 2011. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  9. ^ Healy, Tim (30 November 2018). "'People may die before cancer misdiagnosis cases are heard'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  10. ^ "General Notices: 12 February 2020 - HC Judges Hilary '20". Courts.ie. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Notice - High Court Michaelmas Term - Assignment of Judges". Courts Service. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  12. ^ Morrissey v Health Service Executive & ors, [2019 IEHC 268] (High Court 3 May 2019).
  13. ^ Cullen, Paul (18 June 2019). "Cancer screening: Claims body says appeal will not affect Ruth Morrissey's €2.1m award". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Supreme Court: HSE and labs' appeal dismissed in Ruth Morrissey cervical smear case". Irish Legal News. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  15. ^ Keena, Colm (11 May 2019). "Judge criticises medical profession for commenting on his ruling". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Minister Kelly establishes Referendum Commissions". Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  17. ^ "Retiring Justice Kevin Cross warns on 'battalions with deep pockets'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Mr Justice Kevin Cross retires from the High Court". Irish Legal News. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  19. ^ "The two men now heading for High Court ..." Irish Independent. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  20. ^ "Tributes as Circuit Court's Judge Alison Lindsay retires". The Irish Times. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2019.