He sits as a judge presiding over the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
[3][2] Nolan was a member of the Garda Síochána from 1979 to 1989, based in Rathfarnham and Tallaght.
He worked in a mixed practice including criminal, civil and family law.
[3] Judge Nolan has attracted controversy for the perceived leniency of some of the sentences he has passed, particularly in the areas of Child Sexual Abuse Material or child sexual assault.
An online petition to remove him from the bench attracted thousands of signatures.