William Bullick Black KC (22 September 1879 – 11 March 1967) was an Irish judge and barrister who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1942 to 1951 and a Judge of the High Court from 1939 to 1942.

William Black
Judge of the Supreme Court
In office
14 November 1942 – 28 February 1951
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byDouglas Hyde
Judge of the High Court
In office
20 July 1939 – 14 November 1942
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byDouglas Hyde
Personal details
Born(1879-09-22)22 September 1879
Holywood, County Down, Ireland
Died11 March 1967(1967-03-11) (aged 87)
Dalkey, Dublin, Ireland
Spouse
Julia O'Connor
(m. 1910)
Children3
EducationMethodist College Belfast
Alma mater

Early life and education

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Black was born in Holywood, County Down, in 1879. Black's father, James, was a Methodist minister. He was educated at Methodist College Belfast and later at Trinity College Dublin.[1]

Career

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Black attended the King's Inns, Dublin, where he qualified as a barrister. At King's Inns, he won a number of debating and oratorical prizes before he was called to the Bar in 1901.[1]

Black was a campaigner for Sinn Féin before later supporting Fianna Fáil.[1][2]

In 1939, Black was appointed a High Court judge. Then, in 1942, he was made a judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland and served until 1951.[3] He dissented against the ruling in the Corcoran case (1950) and also the 1951 Tilson case that enforced the Ne Temere decree.[1][4]

The Council of Europe elected Black as Ireland's representative in the European Commission of Human Rights in 1954.[1]

Personal life

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He was married to Julia O'Connor with whom he had three children with.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Dempsey, Pauric (2009). "Black, William Bullick". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  2. ^ Walker, B (17 January 2012). A Political History of the Two Irelands: From Partition to Peace. Springer. p. 63. ISBN 9780230363403. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  3. ^ Supreme Court. "Former Judges of the Supreme Court". www.supremecourt.ie. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. ^ Walker, B (17 January 2012). A Political History of the Two Irelands: From Partition to Peace. Springer. p. 62. ISBN 9780230363403. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2020.