Michael White

Michael White (born 1953 ) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the High Court from 2011 to 2021 and a Judge of the Circuit Court from 1996 to 2011.

Early life White was born in Carndonagh, County Donegal, 1953. His father Michael was a solicitor. He attended St Patrick's Boys' National School, Carndonagh Boys Secondary School and Gormanston College. He graduated with a degree in law from University College Dublin in 1973. He engaged in socialist activism during his time in university and joined the Workers' Party.

Legal and political career He qualified as a solicitor in 1975.

He set up a law firm with Pat McCartan and Paula Scully in 1976, before setting up his own practice in 1987. He later specialised in family law and labour law.

He was appointed to the High Court through application to the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board in October 2011. He is the chair of the Hammond Lane Project Board for the development of a new courthouse in Dublin. He publicly criticised the procedures and administration of the Irish family law courts in 2018.

White was the judge in Charge of the Central Criminal Court.

In February 2021, he was appointed as the inaugural chairperson of the Parole Board and in June 2021 and took over as the chairperson of a Commission of Investigation into allegations of sexual abuse made against Bill Kenneally.

He retired as a High Court judge on 1 October 2021.

Personal life White lives in Dublin. He married Maud McKee in 1982, a doctor originally from Portballintrae, with whom he had four sons. Dr. McKee died in 2014.