Northern Ireland

A free book exploring the law and practice of the Northern Ireland protocol has been published online. Edited by Professor Christopher McCrudden of Queen's University Belfast (QUB), the book was produced in "close partnership" with the Office of the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland.

The late Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore "embodied" the case for always having a judge from Northern Ireland on the Supreme Court bench, Lady Hale has said. The former Supreme Court president reflected on the importance of the court having judges from all parts of the United Kingdom as she addressed a virtu

Northern Ireland's first woman chief justice, Dame Siobhan Keegan and the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland QC MP, have marked the opening of the new legal year in Northern Ireland.

A group of human rights NGOs, academics and lawyers has warned that new legacy proposals from the UK government "would breach both international law and the domestic Human Rights Act, deliver impunity, bury truth recovery and fundamentally undermine the rule of law". An open letter signed by 18 orga

Mrs Justice Siobhan Keegan has been appointed as Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, becoming the first woman ever to hold the highest judicial position in Northern Ireland. She will be sworn in as successor to the incumbent Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, at the start of September 2021 &

It would be highly unwise for referendums on the constitutional future of Northern Ireland to be called without a clear plan for what follows, a major 18-month research project has concluded. The Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland, established by the UCL Constitution U

Any changes to the Human Rights Act 1998 could "significantly undermine Northern Ireland's unique constitutional settlement", The Bar of Northern Ireland has said. In its submission to the UK government's review of the law, it said it "would not support any amendments to the HRA as part of this revi

Human rights organisations have urged US president-elect Joe Biden to help protect the Good Friday Agreement as the UK reaches the end of the Brexit transition period. A briefing paper signed by 14 organisations north and south of the Irish border was sent to Biden's transition team, in particular t

An "erosion" of the judicial review court process would have a "particularly stark impact" in Northern Ireland, lawyers have warned. In its submission to the Independent Review of Administrative Law (IRAL), set up by the UK government and led by Lord Faulks QC, the Law Society of Northern Ireland sa

Rights groups in Northern Ireland and Scotland are joining together to organise a free webinar on changes to the UK’s rules on settled status for EU citizens. The changes will benefit certain family members of British, Irish, and dual British-Irish citizens, if those citizens were born in Nort

Most Northern Ireland barristers will be unable to sustain their practice if there is no increase in court business or additional government support by September, a new survey suggests. A survey carried out by The Bar of Northern Ireland in April, with responses from nearly two-thirds (60 per cent)

The convener of the Faculty of Advocates' International Committee, James Mure QC, will be one of the speakers at a conference in Northern Ireland to explore major constitutional law issues. The Belfast summer school is hosted by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland, John Larkin QC, from 7 to 9

The routine fast-tracking of legislation relating to Northern Ireland is "constitutionally unacceptable", a key Westminster committee has said. The House of Lords select committee on the constitution said the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill could have been "introduced earlier and proceed

Restricted public access to rape trials and the provision of publicly-funded legal advice to complainants are among the final recommendations of the judge-led review into serious sexual offence trials.