Non-Jury Trials

A senior judge has said that the second Special Criminal Court will be made "full use of" until it is removed by legislation, following weekend reports of its suspension amid falling case numbers. Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt made the remarks yesterday in the course of a bail hearing. He sai

The second Special Criminal Court, which was set up in 2016 to tackle a backlog of terrorism and organised crime cases, is set to be wound down. The operation of the second non-jury court will be suspended at the start of 2020, The Irish Times reports, owing to a decline in case numbers.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan insisted that the Special Criminal Court is compatible with fundamental human rights as he secured Oireachtas approval for its continued operation. The Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998, which underpins the operation of the non-jury court, must be rene