[13][14] As Minister for Justice in 2020, Flanagan was behind plans for a state commemoration of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), the police force in Ireland during British administration.

[15] A member of the government-appointed advisory group said they had "recommended a simple ceremony in Dublin Castle, but somebody lost the run of themselves and called it a State event".

[16] Flanagan supported a memorial wall in Glasnevin Cemetery that drew controversy for commemorating British soldiers alongside Irish revolutionaries.

[18] In 2009, Flanagan expressed support for legalising adoption for same-sex couples, describing it as a "glaring omission" from a bill signed by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern.

[22] In 2019, as Minister for Justice, Flanagan signed an exclusion order banning anti-gay preacher Steven Anderson from entering Ireland.

[23] Flanagan has criticised the Irish press for their coverage of Israel, accusing them of "demonisation" and "slavishly dancing to the Palestinian drumbeat for decades".