David Prendergast
Assistant Prof in Comparative Law, Law
Biography
Dr David Prendergast researches and teaches in jurisprudence and criminal law. From 2016 he is the Law School's Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning. David co-founded the Irish Jurisprudence Society and is a former co-editor of the Dublin University Law Journal. He received a Trinity Provost's Teaching Award (Early Career) in 2014. David's PhD provided a qualified defence of judicial review of electoral processes. His journal articles on substantive criminal law have been influential and cited in numerous academic texts and in the High Court of Ireland. Current research involves investigating the structure of criminal liability and criminal law defences. David has an LL.B. (First class) from Trinity College Dublin, an LL.M. (Distinction) from University College London and is a non-practising barrister. He worked as a legal researcher for the Law Reform Commission and was formerly Pathways to Law Liaison Officer with Trinity Access Programmes.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
David Prendergast, The judicial role in protecting democracy from populism, German Law Journal, 20, (2), 2019, p245 - 262
David Prendergast, Recklessness without the risk, Criminal Law and Philosophy, Online First, 2019, p1 - 20
David Prendergast, A critical review of the Court of Appeal interpretation of self-defence in the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, Irish Criminal Law Journal, 28, (3), 2018, p58 - 63
David Prendergast, Criminal Culpability and Sexual Offences Reform, Criminal Law and Practice Review, 2, 2018, p99 - 113
David Prendergast, Constitutional Control of Vague Criminal Law, Dublin University Law Journal, 42, (2), 2018, p19 - 44
David Prendergast, The presumption pertaining to murder mens rea in section 4(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 1964, Irish Jurist, (60), 2018, p167 - 179
Article 16 of the Irish Constitution and Judicial Review of Electoral Processes in, editor(s)Laura Cahilane, James Gallen, Tom Hickey , Judges, Politics and The Constitution, United Kingdom, Manchester University Press, 2017, pp252 - 268, [David Prendergast]
CC v Ireland: the missing feminist judgment in, editor(s)Máiréad Enright, Julie McCandless, Aoife O'Donoghue , Northern / Irish Feminist Judgments: Judges' Troubles and the Gendered Politics of Identity, United Kingdom, Hart Publishing, 2017, pp566 - 579, [David Prendergast]
David Prendergast, The Conventionality of Constitutional Law, Dublin University Law Journal, 38, (2), 2015, p441 - 448
David Prendergast, Defensive Killing by Initial Aggressors: DPP v Barnes Revisited, Irish Jurist, 54, (2), 2015, p115 - 130
David Prendergast, Gross negligence manslaughter in Irish law, Dublin University Law Journal, 37, (1), 2014, p267 - 277
David Prendergast, The Connection between Mental Disorder and the Act of Killing in the Defence of Diminished Responsibility, The Irish Jurist, 49, (1), 2013, p202 - 211
David Prendergast, Douglas v DPP and the Constitutional Requirement for Certainty in Criminal Law, The Irish Jurist, 50, (1), 2013, p235 - 243
David Prendergast, Strict Liability and the Presumption of Mens Rea after CC v Ireland, Irish Jurist, 46, 2011, p211 - 220
David Prendergast, The Constitutionality of Strict Liability Offences, Dublin University Law Journal, 33, 2011, p285 - 318
David Prendergast, By-elections and the filling of Dáil vacancies within a reasonable time - a note on Doherty v Ireland, Dublin University Law Journal, 34, 2011, p242 - 255
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
David Prendergast, Consent as a legal binary, School of Law lunchtime seminar series, Trinity College Dublin, November 2018, edited by Des Ryan , 2018
David Prendergast, Reverse Burdens, Evidence/Criminal Procedure Workshop, Dublin City University, edited by Yvonne Daly , 2018
David Prendergast, Recent developments in criminal defences and mens rea: a retreat from subjectivism?, Criminal law: Recent trends and developments, Trinity College Dublin, 19 April, edited by Liz Heffernan , 2018
David Prendergast, Book Review: Justice, Mercy, and Caprice: Clemency and the Death Penalty in Ireland I. O'Donnell, Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 57, (4), 2018, p604 - 607
David Prendergast, CULPABILITY IN CARELESS DRIVING AND THE SO-CALLED "THIRD CATEGORY" OF CRIMINAL OFFENCE, Irish Law Times, 36, (4), 2018, p63 - 67
David Prendergast, Challenges to the Centrality of Consent, Seminar, University of Surrey, 2018
David Prendergast, Constitutional review of democratic processes, Popular Will, Electoral Democracy and the Courts, University of Padua, 16-17 November 2017, edited by Andrea Pin , 2017
David Prendergast, The constitutional control of vague criminal law, Constitution at 80, University of Limerick, 7 November 2017, edited by Laura Cahillane and David Kenny , 2017
David Prendergast, Sexual Offences and Presumptive Wrongs, Legal and Political Theory Workshop, NUI Galway, 13 November 2015, edited by Danaher, Daly, Tourkochoriti , 2015
David Prendergast, Murder mens rea, Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, NUI Galway, 2015
David Prendergast, 'What is the test for self-defence in fatal cases?' , Irish Law Times, 13, 2015, p213 - 218
David Prendergast, CC v Ireland feminist judgment, Northern / Irish Feminist Judgments Project workshop: the embodied subject, Griffith College Dublin and UCD, 16-18 April 2015, edited by Enright, McAndless, O'Donoghue , 2015
David Prendergast, Murder mens rea, Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, NUI Galway, November 2015, edited by Charles O'Mahony , 2015
David Prendergast, Self-defence in fatal cases, The Criminal Law Forum, King's Inns, Dublin, 5 April 2014, 2014
David Prendergast, Addressing uncertainty in the defences of self-defence, diminished responsibility, and provocation, Criminal Law and Practice Review, 1, (1), 2014, p21 - 35
David Prendergast, DPP v Dunne and the criminal law's test for causing death, Irish Law Times, 17, 2014, p246 - 249
David Prendergast, Vague offences and the High Court, Criminal Law and Practice Review, 1, (1), 2014, p153 - 156
David Prendergast, Article 16 of the Irish Constitution and Judicial Review of Electoral Processes, Judges, Politics and the Irish Constitution, Dublin City University, 4 Sept 2014, 2014
David Prendergast, Criminal Defences: Recent Developments, Criminal law Practice and Procedure Update Conference, Trinity College Dublin, 12 October 2013, edited by Ivana Bacik and Liz Heffernan , 2013
David Prendergast, Review of Eimear Spain, The Role of Emotions in Criminal Defences: Duress, Necessity and Lesser Evils, Review of The Role of Emotions in Criminal Defences: Duress, Necessity and Lesser Evils , by Eimear Spain , Dublin University Law Journal, 36, 2013
David Prendergast, The Differing Demands of Legality, Irish Society of Comparative Law Annual Conference 2013, NUI Galway, 24-25 May 2013, edited by Charles O'Mahony , 2013
David Prendergast, Democracy, Judicial Review, and Legal Scholarship, Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, Dublin, 16-18 November 2012, 2012
David Prendergast, Review of Bill Kissane, New Beginnings: Constitutionalism and Democracy in Modern Ireland, Dublin University Law Journal, 34, 2011
David Prendergast, The case against judicial review of democratic procedures, Irish Society of Comparative Law Annual Conference 2011, University College Dublin, 2011
David Prendergast, Analysis of Doherty v Ireland (the Donegal by-election case), Trinity College Dublin Constitutional Law and Policy Group, 10 December 2010, 2010
Law Reform Commission, Report on Inchoate Offences, (LRC 99 - 2010), 2010
David Prendergast, One Person, One Vote in Ireland and the United States, Inaugural Conference of the Irish Society of Comparative Law, University of Limerick, 27-28 February 2009, 2009
David Prendergast, Tensions in the Pursuit of Equality of Representation - Judicial Review of Electoral Constituencies, Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights Third Annual Postgraduate Conference, University College Cork, UCC, 30 April 2009, 2009
David Prendergast, Codifying Inchoate Offences, (2008) 26 Irish Law Times 134, 2008
Law Reform Commission, Consultation Paper on Inchoate Offences, (LRC CP 48 - 2008), 2008
David Prendergast, The Law Reform Commission's Consultation Paper on Inchoate Offences, International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law Annual Conference 2008, Dublin Castle, 11-15 July 2008, 2008
David Prendergast, Inchoate Liability and Glorifying Terrorism, Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Kent, 3-5 April 2007, 2007
David Prendergast, Normative Positivism, Irish Jurisprudence Society Workshop, Trinity College Dublin, 22 November 2007, 2007
Research Expertise
Description
Constitutional law: judicial review, electoral processes. Criminal law: legality, strict liability, elements of criminal liability. Comparative criminal law and constitutional law. Legal philosophy: legal positivism and natural law.Recognition
Representations
Co-editor of the Dublin University Law Journal
Co-editor of the Criminal Law and Practice Review
Awards and Honours
Provost's Teaching Award (early career) winner
Shortlisted for Provost's Teaching Award
TCD Postgraduate Studentship
Sir Jack Jacob Prize for Civil Justice, UCL
Memberships
Irish Jurisprudence Society
Irish Association of Law Teachers (IALT)