James Murphy (1823–1901) was an Irish barrister and judge of the late nineteenth century.

[2] He made his reputation as counsel for the prosecution in the Phoenix Park murders trials in 1883, and later that year was duly rewarded for the successful outcome of the trials (from the Crown's point of view) by appointment to the High Court.

His judgments were generally considered to be right, and were rarely overturned on appeal, but very few of them were deemed worth reporting for their legal principles.

It was in private life that Murphy shone most brightly: he was noted for his "warm-hearted hospitality", and his guests were charmed by his lively conversation and erudition.

[5] He and Mary had one daughter and five sons, including Harold Lawson Murphy, best remembered as the author of a well-known History of Trinity College Dublin (1951), and Edward Sullivan Murphy, Attorney General for Northern Ireland and later a Lord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland.