Jean Monnet Chair in the European Court of Justice 2024-27
Welcome to the Jean Monnet Chair in the European Court of Justice at Trinity College Dublin.Professor William Phelan is the holder of the Jean Monnet Chair.
The Jean Monnet Chair organizes research, teaching and events on topics related to European Union.
We hope you will enjoy finding out more about the research, teaching and event activities described below.
Please see December 2025 update below.
Research:
The Jean Monnet Chair supports research into the lives of current and former judges of the Court of Justice.
The Jean Monnet Chair supports biographical research on Robert LECOURT, French judge and later President of the European Court of Justice, 1962-1976.
For Professor Phelan’s recent publication on the early life of Robert Lecourt, see:
The Jean Monnet Chair also supports research into more recent members of the Court of Justice, including judges and advocates general.
Teaching:
The Jean Monnet Chair supports teaching in EU Studies, particularly on the external relations of the European Union in comparative perspective, and on the politics of the European Court of Justice.
For Professor Phelan’s recent teaching in EU Studies, see e.g.
The European Court of Justice and Other Famous Courts
Events:
The Jean Monnet Chair supports workshops and events on EU Studies, including meetings of the Dublin EU Law Working Group, and meetings of the EU Legal Historians Network.
The Dublin EU Law Working Group most recently met at the Sutherland School of Law, UCD on 28 November 2024.
The EU Legal Historians Network most recently met online on 15 January 2025.
Anyone interested in participating in either network is welcome to contact Professor William Phelan via phelanw@tcd.ie.
December 2025 Update on Progress
The Jean Monnet Chair in the European Court of Justice has supported the following recent and upcoming activities in European Union studies at Trinity College, around Dublin, and internationally.
Teaching:
Courses - lectures and tutorial groups - on international politics (with a particular focus on the European Union) and on the European Court of Justice were offered by Professor Phelan in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years.
Events:
Dublin EU Law Working Group - upcoming meeting on 11 December 2025 at University College Dublin.
EU Legal Historians Working Group - upcoming meeting on 12 January 2026.
Engagement with Judges and Lawyers of the European Court of Justice:
We were honoured and delighted to host recent talks by a judge of the General Court of the European Union, Judge Colm Mac Eochaidh, and by a Référendaire [senior legal secretary] working for one of the Advocates General, Ms Eileen Sheehan.
Research:
Professor Phelan is carrying out ongoing biographical research on ECJ judge Robert Lecourt (1908-2004), in archives across France and around the world. M. Lecourt was perhaps the most influential of the ECJ's early judges, and research into his career may illuminate the birth of European law and the early years of the Court of Justice.