Jonathan Christian, SL, QC, PC (I) (17 February 1808 in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary – 29 October 1887 in Dublin), was an Irish judge.
It was after his appointment as a Lord Justice of Appeal in Chancery in 1867 that his behaviour began to attract unfavourable comment, as he went out of his way to court controversy on a wide variety of topics.
Christian developed a deep contempt for the Irish Reports, castigating them in open Court as "nonsense", "worthless rubbish" and "disjointed twaddle".
Despite his length of service, he was not considered a judge of the first rank, and Christian evidently combined feelings of professional contempt with a personal dislike for him.
Christian usually voted on appeals to overturn his judgments, and frequently added personal attacks on Chatterton, despite protests from his colleagues.
[7] During O'Hagan's first term as Chancellor Christian subjected him to constant criticism; unwisely he did not confine these attacks to the Courtroom but published numerous pamphlets, which was widely seen as improper conduct in a judge.
Christian, though he was not a landowner and was not as a rule much interested in politics, objected strongly to the policy of the Act, which he believed to be most unjust to landlords.
[10] O'Hagan's retirement did nothing to lessen Christian's ill-temper; other judges came in for attack, including Chief Justice James Whiteside, whom he accused of speaking constantly on matters of which he was ignorant.
In his later years, he seems to have been a lonely and isolated figure: his vigorous opposition to the Supreme Court of Judicature (Ireland) Act 1877 was entirely unsuccessful.