Minister for Justice (Ireland)

The Minister for Justice (An tAire Dlí agus Cirt) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Justice. The Minister for Justice has overall responsibility for law and order in Ireland.

The current Minister for Justice is Helen McEntee, TD. McEntee is assisted by a Minister of State:
 * James Browne, TD – Minister of State for Law Reform and Youth Justice

History
From 1919 until 1924 the position was known as the Minister for Home Affairs. In 1997, the functions of the Minister for Equality and Law Reform were transferred to this Minister, and it was renamed as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, a title which it retained until 2010. The minister held the title of Minister for Justice and Equality from 2011 to 2020. As of 2020, the position is known as Minister for Justice. This followed a transfer of functions to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Overview
The Minister's main areas of responsibility include:
 * Implementing government policy and proposing new policy on crime, immigration, asylum, criminal and civil law reform and the criminal justice system in general.
 * Implementation of government policy and proposing new policy in relation to national security (an area many countries assign to a separate 'Home' or 'Homeland Security' minister)
 * Control and reform of the Garda Síochána
 * Pardons (which are formally given by the President on the binding "advice" of the government, after proposal by the Minister for Justice - a rarely used power)
 * Implementation of core elements of the Good Friday Agreement.

List of office-holders
{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes acting Minister|border=black}} {| class="wikitable"
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|

Minister for Home Affairs 1919–1924
!Name !colspan="2"|Term of office !colspan="2"|Party !Government(s)
 * Michael Collins
 * 22 January 1919
 * 1 April 1919
 * 1st DM
 * Arthur Griffith
 * 2 April 1919
 * 22 August 1921
 * 2nd DM
 * Austin Stack
 * 22 August 1921
 * 9 January 1922
 * 3rd DM
 * Eamonn Duggan
 * 10 January 1922
 * 9 September 1922
 * 4th DM • 1st PG
 * Kevin O'Higgins
 * 30 August 1922
 * 2 June 1924
 * 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC
 * colspan="6"|
 * 9 September 1922
 * 4th DM • 1st PG
 * Kevin O'Higgins
 * 30 August 1922
 * 2 June 1924
 * 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC
 * colspan="6"|
 * 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|

Minister for Justice 1924–1997
!Name !colspan="2"|Term of office !colspan="2"|Party !Government(s) (1st time) (2nd time) (1st time) (2nd time)
 * Kevin O'Higgins
 * 2 June 1924
 * 10 July 1927
 * 2nd EC • 3rd EC
 * W. T. Cosgrave
 * 10 July 1927
 * 12 October 1927
 * 3rd EC
 * James FitzGerald-Kenney
 * 12 October 1927
 * 9 March 1932
 * 4th EC • 5th EC
 * James Geoghegan
 * 9 March 1932
 * 8 February 1933
 * 6th EC
 * P. J. Ruttledge
 * 8 February 1933
 * 8 September 1939
 * 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd
 * Gerald Boland
 * 8 February 1933
 * 6th EC
 * P. J. Ruttledge
 * 8 February 1933
 * 8 September 1939
 * 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd
 * Gerald Boland
 * 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd
 * Gerald Boland
 * Gerald Boland
 * Gerald Boland
 * 8 September 1939
 * 18 February 1948
 * 2nd • 3rd • 4th
 * Seán Mac Eoin
 * 18 February 1948
 * 7 March 1951
 * 5th
 * Daniel Morrissey
 * 7 March 1951
 * 13 June 1951
 * 5th
 * Gerald Boland
 * 7 March 1951
 * 13 June 1951
 * 5th
 * Gerald Boland
 * Gerald Boland
 * Gerald Boland
 * 13 June 1951
 * 2 June 1954
 * 6th
 * James Everett
 * 2 June 1954
 * 20 March 1957
 * 7th
 * Oscar Traynor
 * 20 March 1957
 * 11 October 1961
 * 8th • 9th
 * Charles Haughey
 * 11 October 1961
 * 8 October 1964
 * 10th
 * - bgcolor=#E6E6AA
 * Seán Lemass (acting)
 * 8 October 1964
 * 3 November 1964
 * 10th
 * Brian Lenihan Snr
 * 3 November 1964
 * 26 March 1968
 * 10th • 11th • 12th
 * Mícheál Ó Móráin
 * 27 March 1968
 * 5 May 1970
 * 12th • 13th
 * Desmond O'Malley
 * 5 May 1970
 * 14 March 1973
 * 13th
 * Patrick Cooney
 * 14 March 1973
 * 5 July 1977
 * 14th
 * Gerry Collins
 * 5 May 1970
 * 12th • 13th
 * Desmond O'Malley
 * 5 May 1970
 * 14 March 1973
 * 13th
 * Patrick Cooney
 * 14 March 1973
 * 5 July 1977
 * 14th
 * Gerry Collins
 * 14 March 1973
 * 5 July 1977
 * 14th
 * Gerry Collins
 * Gerry Collins
 * Gerry Collins
 * 5 July 1977
 * 30 June 1981
 * 15th • 16th
 * Jim Mitchell
 * 30 June 1981
 * 9 March 1982
 * 17th
 * Seán Doherty
 * 9 March 1982
 * 14 December 1982
 * 18th
 * Michael Noonan
 * 14 December 1982
 * 14 February 1986
 * 19th
 * Alan Dukes
 * 14 February 1986
 * 10 March 1987
 * 19th
 * Gerry Collins
 * 19th
 * Alan Dukes
 * 14 February 1986
 * 10 March 1987
 * 19th
 * Gerry Collins
 * 19th
 * Gerry Collins
 * Gerry Collins
 * Gerry Collins
 * 10 March 1987
 * 12 July 1989
 * 20th
 * Ray Burke
 * 12 July 1989
 * 11 February 1992
 * 21st
 * Pádraig Flynn
 * 11 February 1992
 * 4 January 1993
 * 22nd
 * Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
 * 4 January 1993
 * 15 December 1994
 * 23rd
 * Nora Owen
 * 15 December 1994
 * 26 June 1997
 * 24th
 * John O'Donoghue
 * 26 June 1997
 * 8 July 1997
 * 25th
 * colspan="6"|
 * 15 December 1994
 * 26 June 1997
 * 24th
 * John O'Donoghue
 * 26 June 1997
 * 8 July 1997
 * 25th
 * colspan="6"|
 * 25th
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform 1997–2010
!Name !colspan="2"|Term of office !colspan="2"|Party !Government(s)
 * John O'Donoghue
 * 8 July 1997
 * 6 June 2002
 * 25th
 * Michael McDowell
 * 6 June 2002
 * 14 June 2007
 * 26th
 * Brian Lenihan Jnr
 * 14 June 2007
 * 7 May 2008
 * 27th
 * Dermot Ahern
 * 7 May 2008
 * 23 March 2010
 * 28th
 * colspan="6"|
 * 27th
 * Dermot Ahern
 * 7 May 2008
 * 23 March 2010
 * 28th
 * colspan="6"|
 * 28th
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|

Minister for Justice and Law Reform 2010–2011
!Name !colspan="2"|Term of office !colspan="2"|Party !Government(s)
 * Dermot Ahern
 * 23 March 2010
 * 19 January 2011
 * 28th
 * Brendan Smith
 * 20 January 2011
 * 9 March 2011
 * 28th
 * Alan Shatter
 * 9 March 2011
 * 2 April 2011
 * 29th
 * colspan="6"|
 * Alan Shatter
 * 9 March 2011
 * 2 April 2011
 * 29th
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|

Minister for Justice and Equality 2011–2020
!Name !colspan="2"|Term of office !colspan="2"|Party !Government(s)
 * Alan Shatter
 * 2 April 2011
 * 7 May 2014
 * 29th
 * Frances Fitzgerald
 * 8 May 2014
 * 14 June 2017
 * 29th • 30th
 * Charles Flanagan
 * 14 June 2017
 * 27 June 2020
 * 31st
 * Helen McEntee
 * 27 June 2020
 * 1 November 2020
 * 32nd
 * colspan="6"|
 * 31st
 * Helen McEntee
 * 27 June 2020
 * 1 November 2020
 * 32nd
 * colspan="6"|
 * 32nd
 * colspan="6"|
 * colspan="6"|

Minister for Justice 2020–present
!Name !colspan="2"|Term of office !colspan="2"|Party !Government(s)
 * Helen McEntee
 * 1 November 2020
 * 27 April 2021
 * rowspan=4|32nd
 * Heather Humphreys
 * 27 April 2021
 * 1 November 2021
 * Helen McEntee
 * 1 November 2021
 * 25 November 2022
 * Heather Humphreys
 * 25 November 2022
 * 17 December 2022
 * Simon Harris
 * 17 December 2022
 * 1 June 2023
 * 33rd
 * Helen McEntee
 * 1 June 2023
 * Incumbent
 * 33rd • 34th
 * }
 * Notes
 * 17 December 2022
 * 1 June 2023
 * 33rd
 * Helen McEntee
 * 1 June 2023
 * Incumbent
 * 33rd • 34th
 * }
 * Notes
 * 33rd • 34th
 * }
 * Notes