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The judicial power is the power to interpret and apply the law to disputes and conflicts that arise between the State and the individual and disputes and conflicts that arise between individuals. Articles 34 to 37 of the Constitution give this power to the courts.

Under Article 35, judges of the courts are independent of the Government and can only be removed through a resolution of both houses of the Oireachtas for misbehaviour or incapacity.

Judges are appointed by the President, who acts on the advice of the Government. The Judicial Appointments Advisory Board advises the Government on suitable candidates for the bench.

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A FLAC Introduction to court systems in Ireland

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In Ireland the legislature is the Oireachtas. It comprises the President and two houses: the Dáil and the Seanad. The main functions of the Oireachtas are to manage the State finances and to legislate for the good of the people. The people elect the President and representatives (T.D.) to Dáil Éireann.

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The President of Ireland is the Head of State. The President is elected directly by the people and serves a seven year term in office.

As well as attending official functions, the President signs Bills into law. The President may decline to sign a Bill into law, however, this happens only in rare circumstances, for example, if the President, with the Council of State, deems a Bill to be unconstitutional.

The current President is Michael D. Higgins. He is the ninth President of Ireland. President Higgins commenced his term on 11 November 2011 and was inaugurated for a second term in 2018.

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The President of Ireland is the Head of State. The President is elected directly by the people and serves a seven year term in office. As well as attending official functions, the President signs Bills into law.

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Ireland has a written constitution, the Constitution of Ireland, which was enacted in 1937. The Constitution is the fundamental law of the State. It provides an umbrella under which the State functions and under which justice is administered by the courts.
It provides protection for the fundamental rights of the citizen and the relationship between the branches of government.
The Constitution supports a system of government with three separate branches of government: Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.
Each has separate and distinct powers. By spreading the power of government among these three branches one branch is unlikely to dominate the other two. If one branch of government had all the power it could lead to an abuse of freedom and rights. It is a fundamental principle of a separation of powers that the three branches of government remain separate and independent. For example, judges must at all times be free of government influence when they go about their business of interpreting law in the courts.