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2 weeks ago | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
When an Irish woman living in Australia applied for Irish passports for her two sons in 2017, she thought it would be a straightforward administrative exercise. It was “beyond insulting”, she says, to be told her boys, conceived via in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and carried by her partner, would be denied passports because the Department of Foreign Affairs did not recognise her as being their “mother” or “parent”, meaning they could not claim citizenship by descent.
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2 months ago | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
A new system intended to restore vulnerable adults’ autonomy would be damaged if the courts had to start forcing people to switch from the previous “wardship” regime, the President of the High Court has warned. Mr Justice David Barniville said a “very low” number of voluntary discharge applications had been made on behalf of “wards of courts” in the nearly two years since the introduction of a replacement decision-making system for adults lacking mental capacity.
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Feb 7, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
An environmental group’s bid for a strike-down of the previous government’s climate action plan has been dismissed by the High Court. In a judgment, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said the 2023 climate action plan contains “considerably more detail” than the 2020 version, which was quashed by the Supreme Court for being too vague. Both cases were taken by the Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE), which also has a live challenge to the 2024 climate action plan.
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Feb 4, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
The Government will contest a Sinn Féin TD’s High Court action based on “simplistic but false” claims alleging the appointment of “super juniors” who attend Cabinet is unconstitutional, the Attorney General has said. Rossa Fanning said “prompt” determination of Patrick “Pa” Daly’s case is in the public interest, given the nature of the constitutional issues arising.
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Jan 31, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
Provisional liquidators have been appointed to the Irish arm of a global ecommerce service provider that faces a working capital shortfall of more than $100 million after talks with secured lenders fell through. Digital River Ireland Limited, which is part of the US-based Digital River group, petitioned the High Court for the appointments on Friday as it said it is cash flow insolvent and cannot secure funding from alternative lenders.
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Jan 31, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
A teenager who was until recent weeks smoking three to four bags of heroin a day is now drug-free after spending some time detained in a secure State care unit, the High Court has heard. Mr Justice John Jordan said the boy’s “extraordinary progress” in a matter of weeks is a “testament to what can be achieved” when children get a place in one of the State’s three “special care” units, which are deployed as a short-term therapeutic intervention to reduce a young person’s risk of harm.
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Jan 30, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
A boy who should be detained in secure State care on foot of a High Court order is hearing voices encouraging him to kill and harm others, a judge has been told. He is among six teenagers whose lives are considered to be at high risk while they await a court-ordered space in one of the State’s three “special care” units. Barrister Sarah McKechnie, for the Tusla –the Child and Family Agency (CFA), said the boy’s situation “continues to deteriorate” while he remains in the community.
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Jan 29, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
A Sinn Féin TD has secured High Court permission to pursue his case alleging the appointment of “super-junior” ministers is “completely anti-democratic”. Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty granted “leave”, allowing Patrick “Pa” Daly to continue with his judicial review, after she was satisfied he surmounted the “relatively low” threshold of demonstrating he has an “arguable” case.
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Jan 28, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
A preschool operating within the grounds of a north Dublin halting site had to close due to its staff being subjected to “unacceptable threats and intimidation” as part of a suspected feud over Dublin City Council works, the High Court has heard. St Margaret’s Pre-School CG this week secured orders appointing a liquidator to itself after it told the court staff were left “in fear” from threats and it has been unable to source alternative premises.
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Jan 28, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Ellen O'Riordan
The Supreme Court has dismissed a man’s bid to overturn an €11.4 million judgment against him as it found he failed to show persuasive and comprehensive evidence of alleged illegality on the part of his creditor. Writing for the five-judge court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Gerard Hogan said John Kelly failed to raise arguments about alleged credit servicing by Cave Projects Limited in a timely or effective fashion before the High Court, which entered the judgment against him.
