Mrs Justice Susan Denham has been appointed as new Chief Justice of Ireland. She made the constitutional declaration on July 25th , 2011 in the presence of President Mary McAleese, the Prime Minister Kenny, the Attorney General and the Minister for Justice. In a statement issued through the Courts Service, Mrs Denham said "the time has now come to develop a Judicial Council in Ireland, to support the Judiciary in their difficult task, whilst providing assurance to the public that all judges maintain our traditional high judicial standards."

As Chief Justice, Susan Denham will chair the Courts Service Board.