Biography
Dr. Jennifer Kavanagh is a Law Lecturer in South East Technological University. She holds PhD in Law from Trinity College Dublin. Her thesis was on Constitutional Law and Government Policy Information. She has recently published the Second Edition of "Constitutional Law in Ireland" with Clarus Press and is currently working on the Second Edition of “Electoral Law in Ireland” which will be published with Clarus Press. She also writes the Constitutional Law and Electoral Law chapters of the Annual Review in Irish Law published by Round Hall. She is a regular commentator on politics and current affairs on national and international media as an expert in Constitutional Law and Electoral Law. Jennifer is current President of the Political Studies Association of Ireland and a member of the Royal Irish Academy's Ethical, Political, Legal and Philosophical Studies Committee.
Administrative Law LL.B. Year 3 and Legal and Business Year 4
Constitutional Law 1 - LL.B. Year 2, Arts Year 2, BA in Legal Studies Year 3 and Psychology Year 2
Constitutional Law 2 - LL.B. Year 2, Arts Year 2, BA in Legal Studies Year 3 and Psychology Year 2
Government and Politics of Ireland - Year 1 LLB
Media Law - Year 3 LLB
Books
Kavanagh J. (2025) Electoral Law in Ireland - 2nd Edition (Dublin: Clarus Press)(forthcoming)
Kavanagh J. (2023) Constitutional Law in Ireland - 2nd Edition (Dublin: Clarus Press)
Kavanagh, J. (2018) Constitutional Law – Core Text Series (Dublin: Clarus Press)
Kavanagh, J. (2015) Electoral Law in Ireland (Dublin: Bloomsbury Professional)
Book Chapters
Kavanagh J. (2024) Constitutional Law in Byrne and Binchy (Eds). Annual Review of Irish Law 2023 (Dublin: Roundhall)
Kavanagh J. (2024) Electoral Law in Byrne and Binchy (Eds). Annual Review of Irish Law 2023 (Dublin: Roundhall)
Kavanagh J. (2023) Constitutional Law in Byrne and Binchy (Eds). Annual Review of Irish Law 2022 (Dublin: Roundhall)
Kavanagh J. (2022) Constitutional Law in Byrne and Binchy (Eds). Annual Review of Irish Law 2021 (Dublin: Roundhall)
Kavanagh J. (2021) The Will of the People? Referendums, Popular Sovereignty and Individual Action to Overturn Referendum Results in Ireland in Maria Cahill, Colm O’Cinneide, Seán Ó Conaill and Conor O’Mahony, (eds.) Constitutional Change and Popular Sovereignty: Populism, Politics and the Law in Ireland, R (Oxford: Routledge)
Kavanagh, J. (2016) ‘Electoral Law in Ireland: Sustaining Electoral Integrity from Process, Procedures and Precedent?’ in Buckley F. and Reidy T. (eds.) Electoral Management: Institutions and Practices in an Established Democracy: The Case of Ireland. (Oxford: Routledge)
Journal Articles
Kavanagh, J. (2024). Balancing the freedom to criticise government policy with regulating lobbying: using Irish lobbying regulation as a model of balancing constitutional rights with lobbying transparency. Int Groups Adv 13, 419–436 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41309-024-00228-4
Kavanagh, J. (2022) Balance of Power - Analysis of the new powers for The Electoral Commission for Online Political Advertisements Law Society Gazette June
Kavanagh, J. (2022) "Get Up, Stand Up" Analysis of the Powers of the New Electoral Commission as created in the Electoral Reform Act 2022 Law Society Gazette May
Kavanagh, J. (2021). Constitutional Change: A Response to ‘Let “The People” Decide: Reflections on Constitutional Change and “Concurrent Consent”’ by Colin Harvey. Irish Studies in International Affairs, 32(2), 406–408. https://doi.org/10.3318/isia.2021.32b.39
Kavanagh, J. (2018), ‘A Change is Gonna Come – Review of the Proposals on the Referendum on Blasphemy’, Law Society Gazette vol.112 No 7 Aug/Sept 2018
Kavanagh J. (2014) ‘Defamation in the Dáil: The Right of Reply for Citizen, the use of Standing Order 59 and Parliamentary Reform’ Irish Political Studies, vol. 29, no. 4, December, pp. 573-589.
Conference Presentations
Kavanagh J. (2024) “I’ll believe it when I see it” – Regulating Political Discourse Online, Political Studies Association of Ireland Conference Dublin 18th - 20th October
Kavanagh J. (2023) The Landscape of Ethics Regulation in Ireland Political Studies Association of Ireland Conference Belfast 20-22nd October
Kavanagh J. (2022) What Ever Happened to Direct Democracy? Social Change and Direct Democracy - A Fire Lit from 1922? Conference to mark the 100 Anniversary of the 1922 Constitution Dublin 5th December
Kavanagh J. (2022) Challenges of electoral management during the pandemic “Elections – Democracy – Covid-19. Lessons from Europe” University of Warsaw, Poland, and the Institute for Political Studies, Belgrade, Serbia. (Online) 24 - 25 February 2022
Kavanagh J. (2021) Covid and Contingencies: Assessing the Adoption of Electoral Law to the Covid Bye Election Political Studies Association of Ireland Conference University College Dublin 8th - 9th October 2020
Kavanagh J. (2020) Close to the Edge - The Constitutionality of Government Action in Inter Parliamentary Periods Political Studies Association of Ireland Conference Online 9th - 10th October 2020
Kavanagh J. (2019) What now for Parliamentary Privilege - Assessing the implications of the Kerins and O’Brien Judgments Political Studies Association of Ireland Conference Maynooth 18th - 20th October 2019
Kavanagh J. (2016) ‘Parties, The Constitution and Natural Justice’ Irish Association of Law Teachers, Waterford 18 – 20th November 2016
Kavanagh J. (2016) ‘Material defects and their implications for Electoral Regulation’ Political Studies Association of Ireland Conference, Belfast 7 – 9th October 2016
Other Publications and Submissions
Department of An Taoiseach (2018), Regulation of Online Political Advertising in Ireland Submissions, https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/86da72-regulation-of-online-political-advertising-in-ireland-submissions/
Houses of the Oireachtas (2017) Report of the Forum on Parliamentary Privilege, https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/parliamentaryBusiness/other/2017-12-21_report-on-the-forum-on-parliamentary-privilege_en.pdf>.
Guest Lectures and Seminars
Electoral Law Workshop, Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisors, Oireachtas October 2024
Kavanagh J. (2019) Comparative Electoral Systems - Irish Electoral Regulation Thai Supreme Court Summer School, University of Strathclyde Glasgow July 2019
Kavanagh J. (2019) How Irish Electoral Law can deal with Online Electoral Disinformation Legal Hackers Law Society of Ireland June 2019
Kavanagh J. (2018) "Waterford and the Constitution" Thomas Francis Meagher Lecture Series, Medieval Museum, Waterford 13th October 2018
Kavanagh J. (2013) ‘Current issues in Freedom of Information Law in Ireland’ Information and Records Management Society of Ireland Annual Workshop National Library of Ireland, 14th November 2013
Kavanagh J. (2013) ‘Research Methodologies in Postgraduate Legal Education’ TCD Postgraduate Law School Seminar Series
Jennifer is a regular media contributor on National and International Broadcast Media for expert and general commentary on Constitutional Law, Elections and Electoral Law. She has been a panellist for RTÉ, Newstalk, Today FM, TV3, Channel 4 News and Sky News amongst others. She has also contributed opinion pieces for The Sun, The Sunday Times and Waterford News and Star.