The Taoiseach Micheál Martin has insisted appointing Seamus Woulfe to the Supreme Court was not part of a political promise he made to Fine Gael.
It comes after the Dáil Business Committe collapsed as a result of a stand-off between opposition and Government.
The seven opposition groupings say they will not take part in any more meetings until the Government agrees to hold a debate on the appointment of Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe.
The committee schedules what the Dáil talks about and debates - and this marks a significant breakdown in the relationship between Government and opposition.
The Government is refusing to bring Justice Minister Helen McEntee into the Dáil to explain the process around appointing Mr Jutice Woulfe.
The Dáil's Business Committee is on the verge of collapse. All the opposition parties and groupings have pulled out of it in protest at the government's refusal to schedule a debate on the process around appointing Judge Seamus Woulfe
— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) November 24, 2020
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín earlier asked if the position on the Supreme Court was part of political horsetrading between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
"The idea that political horsetrading plays any part in this actually is the biggest threat to the separation of powers.
"And there were two vacancies in July to the Supreme Court - only one was filled - and questions are in the public now: why was the second one not filled, given the multiple candidates that applied for the job?
"Is it a case that the second position, too, is part of the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/Green coalition deal?"
Mr Martin has completely rejected the idea there was political interference in the process.
"I've made it clear, and it's all laid out, in terms of how this appointment was made.
"There was no horsetrading involved, there was no involvement whatsoever in terms of judicial appointments and the formation of Government or the Programme for Government.
"Any assertion to the contrary is false, OK?
"And you can make all the accusations you'd like, Deputy, just because you make them doesn't mean they're correct.
"I know what I signed up to, and what I didn't sign up to".
Dáil motion
It comes after Mr Woulfe's refusal to resign from the court over the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner controversy.
While RISE TD Paul Murphy has said he is bringing forward a motion in the Dáil this week, which - if passed - would allow TDs to begin examining whether Mr Justice Woulfe should be removed or not.
Deputy Murphy said: "What happened in terms of Seamus Woulfe and that Golf Society event was in my opinion a very flagrant breach of the regulations.
"We didn't rush into this. Seamus Woulfe obviously refused to resign, as is his right. The Government then said they're not going to do anything about it.
"That left us with a choice whereby he's either going to return to the Supreme Court bench early next year, or we would take the only option open to us."
The Government has previously confirmed it will take no action against the judge.
Reporting by Sean Defoe
