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A public inquiry into the wrongful convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses begins today. Between 2000 and 2014, more than 700 sub-postmasters were convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud due to a fault in the Horizon computer system.

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

Matheson has announced the appointment of partner Shane Hogan as head of the firm's tax practice. Mr Hogan, who joined Matheson in 2000, advises international corporations doing business in and from Ireland on all aspects of corporate tax.

Professor Joan Loughrey has been appointed as head of Queen's University Belfast (QUB) School of Law. She joins QUB from the University of Leeds, where she served as interim head of the school of law from 2020 until 2021. She also served as deputy head of school there from 2013 to 2019, and as direc

The greatest hits of Barry Manilow have been weaponised against protesters by authorities in New Zealand – as well as a sprinkler system. Anti-vaxxers have set up camp outside the country's parliament, which has started playing music on a loop through its speakers in a bid to disperse them.

Northern Ireland could be stuck with its current Covid-19 restrictions for some time in the absence of a fully-functioning Executive to make decisions on relaxing them, it has emerged. The Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act 2022, which came into force earlier this m

Up to three people will be allowed to visit prisoners with effect from Monday, the Irish Prison Service has announced. Prison visits have been subject to various restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the prison service confirmed that up to three visitors – which may include two childr

The Irish government should establish an Office of Tax Reform modelled on the UK's Office of Tax Simplification, the British Irish Chamber of Commerce (BICC) has said. In a submission to the Commission on Taxation and Welfare, the BICC said the proposed body would recommend and advise the government

The Charities Regulator has appointed inspectors to carry out a statutory investigation into the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA). The watchdog said "a number of concerns ... in relation to governance at the ISPCA" were raised with it between March and June 2021.

Speaking at the Institute for Government last week, former UK prime minister John Major issued an important warning on the rule of law. We republish an extract from his speech below. Our way of life is built around the maintenance of law. The public expects our government to work within the law and

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is facing a legal attempt to deprive it of its status as an independent group following its advice on transgender rights. LGBT charities want the United Nations to demote the EHRC after it called for a pause on proposed reforms to the Gender Recognitio

A black QC has called for wigs to be banned from court following an incident in which another barrister was told he must wear one or face disciplinary action. Leslie Thomas QC said wigs were “fashioned for caucasian hair” and look “ridiculous” on black barristers.

Amending human rights laws to give priority to domestic law could result in uncertainty, former UK Supreme Court justice Lord Carnwath has said. An independent review of the Human Rights Act recommended subordinating Strasbourg case law to UK law.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) in England and Wales has accused justice secretary Dominic Raab of lies against the backdrop of a looming crisis in the criminal courts. In an article for The Times yesterday, Mr Raab claimed that the CBA is "demanding that I ignore the public law principles that a