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A landmark ruling five years ago has led to the Irish courts tending towards admitting evidence which has been obtained unconstitutionally, according to new research. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has published a new report by Professor Claire Hamilton, a criminology expert at Maynoot

Lord Hope of Craighead has warned that the UK government "will bring our precious union to an end" if it is not "very careful". The former Deputy President of the UK Supreme Court and Lord President of the Court of Session was speaking in the House of Lords on the devolution aspects of the Internal

Government plans to seal records from the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes for 30 years are not "necessary and proportionate", the Irish Women Lawyers Association (IWLA) has said. The government recently set out its legislative plans for the "safeguarding" of the commission's r

Benjamin Bestgen considers how the law might grapple with nanoscience. See his last jurisprudential primer here. Imagine you are trying to conceive a child using artificial methods. A robot so tiny you could breathe it in without noticing selects the most promising sperm and directly inserts it into

Judges in Wales can order criminals who commit alcohol-fuelled crime to wear a "sobriety tag" from today under a scheme due to be extended to England early next year. The legislation underpinning the new tags came into force across England and Wales in May, having been piloted in London, Humberside,

A prominent journalist has been suspended by a US magazine after he was allegedly spotted masturbating in a Zoom meeting, unaware that his camera was on. Jeffrey Toobin, one of the best-known legal commentators in the US, was supposed to be representing the country's courts in a New Yorker election

The High Court has quashed a decision by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency (CFA), reaching a “provisional conclusion” that a man had engaged in sexual acts with a child in its review of historic sex abuse allegations. Mr Justice Garrett Simons said that the case illustrated “the v

Business in the Irish courts is likely to be disrupted for six weeks as Ireland moves to Level 5 of the Framework for Living with Covid-19. The Courts Service yesterday set out its broad plans for court business under Level 5 and is expected to issue a further statement later today.

Child sexual exploitation laws in Northern Ireland are set to be strengthened following the completion of a recent review, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. New legislation expected early next year will remove outdated terms such as "child prostitution" from existing legislation, ban adults from

Legislation to modernise Northern Ireland's liquor licensing laws has been introduced in the Assembly. The Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill, which was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was introduced by Finance Minister Conor Murphy on behalf of Communities Minister Car&aacut

A district judge has been rebuked for questioning the word of a barrister during a criminal trial. The barrister in question was defending a man before Naas District Court last July who had pleaded guilty to an offence which he pointed out no longer carried a custodial sentence following the Road Tr

The Department of Justice has launched a public consultation on a draft 2021/22 Modern Slavery Strategy for Northern Ireland. The aim of the strategy is to equip Northern Ireland to eradicate modern slavery through a collaborative partnership between law enforcement agencies, frontline professionals

Prosecutors in England have been given new guidance on the impact of digital technology on sex and relationships, including the emergence of new rape myths links to sexting, dating apps and casual sex. The first fresh guidance on rape myths and stereotypes since 2012 is aimed at reflecting social ch

The first in this year’s series of Hamlyn Lectures is being hosted by Scotland's Faculty of Advocates and delivered by Eleanor Sharpston QC, Advocate General from 2006 to 2020 at the Court of Justice of the European Union. Three online lectures by Ms Sharpston will consider The Great Experimen

The Law Society of Ireland has invited lawyers, their family and friends to take part in a virtual Calcutta Run this year. The legal fundraiser was originally due to take place in May but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.