Understanding the implications of the Supreme Court’s Dillon judgment for Article 2 of the Windsor Framework

Belfast

When: May 27th, 2026 (4.15pm-6pm)

Where: Inn of Court of Northern Ireland, Royal Courts of Justice

The Irish Centre for European Law (ICEL) will host a hybrid conference on 27 May 2026 (4.15-6pm) following the UK’s Supreme Court Judgment of Dillon and Others v Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (which is due to be delivered on 7 May 2026). The case will be of central importance in Northern Ireland regarding the meaning and status of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework, which provides for the non-diminution of equality and human rights in Northern Ireland post-Brexit.

This will be a hybrid conference with tickets costing £45 for in-person attendance or £20 for online attendance.

Tickets can be purchased here: https://ti.to/ICEL/dillonjudgment.

The conference will feature leading speakers Jack Williams and Professor Christopher McCrudden who were both instructed as Counsel in the Dillon case and be Chaired by Darragh Mackin, Partner at Phoenix Law.

(i) Jack Williams is a barrister at Moncton Chambers and has been called to the Bars of England and Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. He has established himself as a particular authority in UK-EU Relations Law post-Brexit. He is a graduate from the University of Oxford (Hertford College) with a Distinction in the BCL and from the University of Cambridge (St Catharine’s College). He has been at the forefront of all matters in connection with Brexit and the UK’s new relationship with the EU post Brexit. He has given evidence to Parliament on the topic, and his publications have been cited by the High Court and the Supreme Court. He is the founder and editor of the UK-EU Relations Law blog, https://eurelationslaw.com. He has been instructed in a range of Brexit litigation, including Miller I, and most recently in the Dillon case in the Supreme Court.

(ii) Professor Christopher McCrudden is a barrister at Blackstone Chambers and has been called to the Bars of England and Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland. He is Emeritus Professor of Human Rights and Equality Law at Queen’s University Belfast, and is a graduate of Queen’s (LL.B.), Yale Law School (LL.M), and the University of Oxford (D.Phil and LL.D). He has specialized recently in writing and speaking on Northern Ireland legal issues post-Brexit and is the editor of The Law and Practice of the Ireland-Northern Ireland Protocol (CUP, 2022). He has also given evidence to Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly on these issues and has been instructed in several high-profile post-Brexit cases, including Miller I and the Dillon case.

(iii) Darragh Mackin is a solicitor and partner at Phoenix Law and represents the principal applicants in the Dillon case. He has developed a specialist practice in Human Rights, Public Law, Litigation and International law. He has acted for clients in some of the most high-profile cases in Ireland and Internationally, including in the Supreme Courts in London and Dublin, the European Court of Human Rights, the African Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations Special Procedures. In addition to practice, he is an associate lecturer of Public and Administrative Law at the University of Ulster (from which he graduated in law) and has delivered a number of guest lectures at Cambridge University, Trinity, Queen’s University Belfast, and Dublin City University.

Coffee and tea refreshments will be provided during a short break.

There are 2 CPD points available for this conference.
For enquiries about this conference, contact icel@tcd.ie.

Consider becoming a member of the Centre to avail of discounts, access recordings and papers from previous conferences, and join a growing network of professionals and organisations. Join Now