News

Authorities in Washington DC have agreed to pay an undisclosed settlement to a man who claimed he was unlawfully detained after following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme music from Star Wars on his phone as a form of protest. Sam O’Hara sued the District o

Google will face an 11-week trial starting on 28 September in a legal action for over £1 billion in damages brought on behalf of thousands of UK app developers who were allegedly overcharged for using Google’s Play Store. With the trial now approaching, Google has failed in a last ditch

A Michigan couple have been charged with second-degree murder after prosecutors alleged their seven-year-old son died weighing almost 18st (113kg) after years of medical neglect. Damien O’Brien, 40, and Jessica O’Brien, 41, were charged following the death of their son, Casper O’Br

McCann FitzGerald LLP won ‘Gender Diversity Support – Western Europe’ at the Women in Business Law Awards 2026.  The ceremony took place on Thursday at The Biltmore Mayfair in London, with Clare Gillett, partner (finance, Dublin), and Rachel Fitzsimons, senior associate (finan

FLAC has called for a major redraft of the Judicial Review Bill in light of the Oireachtas Justice Committee report recommendations and to undertake consultation and research before any changes proceed. In March, FLAC appeared before the Justice Committee and highlighted that the proposed legislatio

A judicial review challenge was launched at Belfast High Court on Friday on behalf of Belfast woman Máire Mhic an Fháilí challenging both the decision to proscribe Palestine Action and the subsequent actions taken against her by the PSNI. The case raises issues unique to Norther

Ireland’s migrant workers are being prevented from living with their children by family reunification rules that impose unattainable income thresholds and lengthy delays, according to a coalition led by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI). In a submission to the Department of Justice, bac

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan has announced the launch of a new survey to learn more about professionals providing Voice of the Child and Welfare reports in family law proceedings to assist with the development and establishment of a panel of assessors. The survey is part of the government&

Ten years on from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, a clearer but still incomplete picture is emerging. The Ireland–UK relationship has entered a more stable phase, while EU–UK engagement is advancing more gradually, with a number of substantive issues still to be reso

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has called for any reform of Ireland’s criminal legal aid system to be firmly grounded in human rights and equality principles, warning that efficiency measures must not undermine people’s right to a fair trial or meaningful access t

Several national legal, human rights and civil society organisations came together on Friday at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin to voice their concerns over planned changes to Ireland's criminal legal aid scheme and the potential consequences for access to justice.

Authorities in Mombasa, Kenya, have announced a crackdown on the spreading of false claims about disappearing male genitalia. The hoax, which reportedly originated in neighbouring Kwale County, has led to a series of attacks in recent days, with several people injured after being falsely accused of

The new police ombudsman for Northern Ireland must release the report into the failed police investigation of the 2001 murder of journalist Martin O’Hagan. That is the call from Amnesty International following the appointment of Jacqui Durkin who takes up the role today.

Aoife Nolan, professor of international human rights law at Nottingham University, has been elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child for the 2027-2031 term. The Committee on the Rights of the Child is a body of 18 experts responsible for monitoring the implementation of the

More than 46,000 freedom of information requests were made to public bodies in Ireland last year, marking an 11 per cent increase on 2024 and a 65 per cent rise since amendments to the legislation in 2014, according to the Information Commissioner’s Annual Report 2025. Publishing the report, I