Conor Courtney

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

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

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

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 of Northern Ireland has dismissed an application alleging cross-cutting from ministers who challenged a decision of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in relation to bonfires in Belfast. The ongoing bonfire dispute, which was previously covered by Irish Legal News here, was

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has rejected a declaration of parentage for a same-sex couple’s child conceived through private artificial insemination, citing public policy grounds. The judges did not consider that this affected the upbringing of the child. A woman known as A appeale

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal against possession of ammunition where evidence of a previous conviction for possession of an imitation firearm was presented before the jury. The court concluded that the trial judge was entitled to admit previous conviction evidence

Northern Ireland’s High Court has quashed search reports which contained incorrect addresses and fell below the standard to be accepted by a lay magistrate. This application for leave to apply for judicial review was brought by Andrea Hughes (the applicant). The proposed respondents were the P

Northern Ireland's High Court has overturned a decision to revoke the British passport of an Iraqi Kurd where his reasons for using an alias in his citizenship application were ignored. The applicant, TS, was an Iraqi Kurd and a British citizen who resides in Belfast. He sought to challenge by way o

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has dismissed the so-called "gay cake" case brought by Gareth Lee, a UK national, represented by Ciaran Moynagh of Phoenix Law, against the United Kingdom government. The ECtHR found that Mr Lee had relied on national legislation to advance his discriminati

Northern Ireland's Court of Appeal has dismissed an application for leave to extend time and appeal against five sexual offences convictions at Dungannon Crown Court in 2017. The applicant was a father of two children X and Y, the complainants in his case. The application centred largely around the

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) decision in 2014 to terminate an investigation into allegations of torture against the “Hooded Men” was unlawful. The PSNI brought the case to the UK’s highest court, having been unsuccessful in the Cou

A Christian boy's school in Newry discriminated against applicants by prioritising applications for "legacy students" whose fathers had been past pupils, Northern Ireland's High Court has ruled.

Northern Ireland's High Court has rejected an application for judicial review alleging bias where such bias was not established by the applicant. This decision is one of many regarding planning permission for the proposal to commence gold mining operations in the Sperrin Mountains in County Tyrone.