Case Reports

Northern Ireland’s High Court has dismissed an application for judicial review of the Covid-Status certification scheme, finding that the regulations introduced had been a legal, legitimate, necessary and proportionate response to the pandemic emergency. This decision was one of a series surro

Northern Ireland’s High Court has dismissed an application for judicial review arguing that so-called "vaccine passports" breached GDPR and data protection laws, finding that the unvaccinated applicant had insufficient standing for such a claim. This decision was one of a series surrounding re

The High Court has rejected a submission that judges who voted on the new Personal Injuries Guidelines should be recused from hearing a legal challenge to those Guidelines. The applicant brought judicial review proceedings seeking to challenge the adoption by the Judicial Council of the Guidelines o

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal brought by An Taisce against the grant of permission for a major cheese factory in Slieverue, Co Kilkenny. It was argued by the appellant that the new factory would consume 450 million litres of milk per year, and that the environmental impact of this consum

The High Court has accepted a proposed settlement of €32,500 for a boy who lost the tip of his little finger while ice skating. In so ruling, the court held that the offer was appropriate in circumstances where there was a “real likelihood that the personal injuries claim would be dismiss

The High Court has refused a judicial review application by two accused to prohibit their trial in the Special Criminal Court. The applicants argued that the SCC was a temporary and emergency mechanism but had become a de facto permanent court in the Irish system. As such, it was argued that the con

The Supreme Court has allowed an appeal against the surrender of a man to Poland to serve a sentence for minor drugs offences due to delay. The man had a suspended sentence for offences dating back to 1999, which he was ordered to serve in 2006. However, a European Arrest Warrant was not issued unti

Northern Ireland’s High Court has dismissed two applications for judicial review challenging The Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021. The court found that the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement had not impacted human rights laws involving abortion on the grounds of severe foetal impairment, a

The High Court has refused an application for judicial review seeking to prohibit the Director of Public Prosecutions from pursuing charges against the applicant on the grounds of delay. The applicant was 15 years old at the time of the alleged offending but was not returned for trial until after hi

Northern Ireland’s High Court has dismissed a judicial review application where the original proceedings were still ongoing, and where the applicant failed to mount a case for early release or mercy. This was an application for leave to apply for judicial review where the applicant was seeking

The High Court has refused an application to dismiss a plaintiff’s personal injuries action on the grounds that it was bound to fail. The defendants argued that the plaintiff could not succeed because she had signed a waiver agreement which waived any right of action against the defendants. Ho

The Court of Appeal has upheld an award of €85,000 for psychiatric damage caused to a woman who witnessed the aftermath of a fatal car accident. The woman was the first person on the scene and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after seeing the deceased driver. The defendant’s insure

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has rejected a conviction for hate speech where the trial judge failed to examine the context of the speech and failed to justify the interference with the appellant’s freedom of expression. This appeal questioned whether the leaflets involved could be

The High Court has refused to admit the copy of a deceased’s will to probate despite the fact that most of the next of kin consented and none actively opposed the application. The court held that there was simply no evidence to show that the original will was still in existence or that it was

The Supreme Court has ruled that Clare County Council was not entitled to a mandatory interlocutory injunction removing Irish travellers from Council lands. It was held that both the Court of Appeal had failed to adequately consider the constitutional rights of the defendants in granting the applica