Who We Are

About NIJAC

The Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC) was established in June 2005.

We are an independent public body established to bring about a new system for appointing members of the judiciary in Northern Ireland.

We were established under the Justice (Northern Ireland) Acts 2002 & 2004 which implemented the recommendations of the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Review which flowed from the Belfast Agreement (1998).  The Belfast Agreement provided for a wide-ranging review of criminal justice in Northern Ireland.

Upon the devolution of justice on 12 April 2010, the Northern Ireland Act 2009 extended our statutory duties even further. NIJAC is now an appointing body with a say over the judicial complement and determining certain elements (non-financial) of some Terms and Conditions.

Also, at this time, our sponsoring department changed from the Northern Ireland Courts Service to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).

OFMDFM’s role is one of oversight and ensuring accountability for our governance and finance.