He was one of the Roman Catholic judges appointed by James II & VII of England, Scotland and Ireland in his effort to transform the religious character of the Irish administration.
All of James II's Catholic judges were the object of violent attacks on the grounds that they were lacking in integrity and learning, that they were entirely subject to the will of the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, and that they were "wretchedly poor and indigent".
[5] The last charge was certainly not true of Lynch, but Ball notes that when he was appointed a High Court judge he had just twelve years experience at the Irish Bar (although Recorder in Ireland was a full-time role).
In the confusion of the years 1688-90 the status of the Irish High Court judges was uncertain, but most continued to act in their judicial capacity, including Lynch, who went on assize in Leinster,[4] and was said to be working with William, who was in any case too preoccupied with other matters to give much attention to reform of the judiciary.
[1] Ball believed the explanation was the discovery of a letter in which Lynch reportedly admitted that in any criminal trial where he had the power to impose the death penalty he would always drive for the execution of a Protestant, defendant, whether they were innocent or guilty.