When elected in 2022, Síofra O’Leary became the first woman to preside a European Apex Court.
She played a central role during her Presidency, advocating for the needs of the European Court of Human Rights before, during and after the 4th Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavík.
After studying Law at the University College Dublin, President O’Leary obtained her PhD at the European University Institute in Florence. She enjoyed a rich academic career at the University College Dublin and the Universities of Cádiz and Cambridge, as well as being a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Bruges) for many years. Specialised in European law, she has worked for almost three decades at both the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights.
When elected as Judge at the European Court of Human Rights in 2015, she brought her extensive knowledge of EU law to the Court in Strasbourg at a time when such expertise was increasingly needed. She served as Section and Vice-President before assuming the role of President.
Síofra O’Leary was born in Dublin into a large family and to Irish parents with a very European vision of the future. She learned languages and travelled to Europe as an au pair and on languages exchanges when still a teenager. Married to a Spanish lawyer, President O’Leary retains strong links to Ireland, while also putting down other roots in Luxembourg, Sevilla and Galicia. It was her strong vocation to Europe and to the law as a vehicle for individual protection, integration and societal change which drew her to the Court.
In this video, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Síofra O'Leary, recalls a case that made a lasting impression on her. She also highlights the importance of the work carried out by all the Court's staff in giving human form to abstract legal principles and values.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
