IN THE COURTROOM Justice Teresa Doherty Elected Presiding Judge of Trial Chamber II Posted by on Jan 18, 2008, 14:04

Justice Teresa Doherty C.B.E. of Northern Ireland has been elected to a one-year term as Presiding Judge of Trial Chamber II. She succeeds Justice Julia Sebutinde of Uganda. Justice Sebutinde’s one-year term ended on 17 January 2008.

Justice Teresa Doherty was called to the bar 1978. From 1976-1987 she practiced law in Northern Ireland and Papua New Guinea. In 1987 she was appointed a Principal Magistrate in Papua New Guinea and from 1988-1997 she served as a Judge of the Supreme and National Courts and was the first woman to hold high judicial office in Papua New Guinea.

In 1998 she returned to private law practice in Northern Ireland, where she worked until 2003. From 2003-2005, just prior to joining the Special Court, Justice Doherty served as a Judge of the High Court and the Court of Appeal of Sierra Leone. From 1998 to 2002 she was a member of the board of visitors of Maghaberry Prison. Since 2002 she has served as Life Sentence Review Commissioner for Northern Ireland and a part-time chairman of the Appeals Services of Northern Ireland.

She joined the Special Court in January 2005.

Trial Chamber II, consisting of Justice Doherty, Justice Sebutinde, and Justice Richard Lussick, recently concluded the trial in Freetown of three former leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council. They are currently hearing evidence in the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in The Hague.

This is Justice Doherty’s second term as Presiding Judge of Trial Chamber II. She also served as Presiding Judge from January 2005 to January 2006.

The Special Court is an independent tribunal established jointly by the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone. It is mandated to bring to justice those who bear the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed in Sierra Leone after 30 November 1996