Rory O'Connell
@rjjoconnell.bsky.social
Professor of Human Rights & Constitutional Law, Posts on human rights, equality & constitutional law. Posting in personal capacity.
The Palestine Action proscription litigation is still *not* over. Appeal to Supreme Court is on.
Joshua Rozenberg@joshuarozenberg.bsky.social · 6d agoThe co-founder of Palestine Action has been granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court against a ruling by the Court of Appeal that then then home secretary had acted lawfully when she proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 last year. rozenberg.substack.com/p/palestine-...
This inquiry will be worth following.
David Anderson@bricksilk.bsky.social · last wk.The House of Lords Constitution Committee is starting a wide-ranging inquiry into strengthening our constitutional safeguards - as proposed by (Lord) Peter Hennessy. Look East, look West, and see the urgency. Written evidence requested by 28th of September. committees.parliament.uk/committee/17...
A crucial report into gendered institutional abuse in Northern Ireland will be published today. Well worth reading for myriad reasons, not least because the independent panel was tasked with developing the kind of human-rights-centred approach survivors in the Republic have been denied.
@uk-news.bsky.social · 4w agoReport into Mother and Baby homes to be published today https://www.europesays.com/uk/1073005/ An extensive report into mother and baby Institutions, Magdelene Laundries and Workhouses in Northern Ireland will be published…#uk #news #uknews
Significant day as the Truth Recovery Independent Panel issues its report on Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries, and Workhouses in NI. This systemic review, drawing on multiple methods, needs to receive the attention this issue deserves: www.independentpanel.truthrecoveryni.co.uk
Independent Panel Truth Recovery NI
Welcome to the home page of the Independent Panel Truth Recovery NI.
independentpanel.truthrecoveryni.co.uk
Many thanks to Steve for publishing this - Eleni and I have been going feral at each other at how the Reed UKSC deals with EU law for a while now, and Dillon felt like an invitation to put some thoughts to paper. Can't imagine the CJEU is thrilled with its corpus being reimagined by a former MS.
Steve Peers@stevepeers.bsky.social · last mo.On the UK Supreme Court's judgment in Dillon, on human rights in Northern Ireland under the Brexit withdrawal agreement, and how it dealt with direct effect - by Eleni Frantziou and @sylviademars.me - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2026/07/doub...
Essential reading from @sylviademars.me and Eleni Frantziou on just how divorced from the reality of EU law the UKSC's approach to direct effect in Dillon actually is: eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2026/07/doub...
To my great dismay, not because I wanted more exposure, two major international news outlets canceled on me last minute yesterday after the decision dropped. Both believed the danger had passed b/c the birthright was upheld. They should've let me explain. I am doing so in a blog this AM.
Anna O. Law@unlawfulentries.bsky.social · last mo."It's over, right?" a journo asked me this morning about the birthright citizenship case. No. No legal or political result is final unless the losing side gives up fighting. They will try again. New prez, new judges. There's a social movement based on racial grievance + scapegoating immigrants.
📣𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Last week, Dr Esther McGuiness, Laura Hyde, Melissa McKee, Claire Mulrone and Bronagh Heverin (ATU) attended the 12th European Network for Clinical Legal Education (ENCLE) and 23rd (IJCLE) International Journal for Clinical Legal Education Conference 2026.
Recently Ulster University School of Law hosted the NI Mock Trial Initiative: a full-day simulated Crown Court trial based on a serious sexual offence case. Presided over by Sir Judge John Gillen, the exercise proved to be a hugely beneficial learning experience. Thanks to all involved.
Today at the NI Scrutiny Committee, we have Chris McCrudden and Sam Willis, also coming in on Art 2 and Dillon. I'll be lateblogging* what I'm seeing with some commentary as I have many, many feelings on Dillon and Article 2. 1/ * I never see these things live.
Many lessons to be taken from this new searchable database including: Todd Blanche's gross mismanagement of DOJ over this period Courts saying: 'presumption of regularity'/government good faith simply gone Courts: increasingly sanctioning DOJ attorneys⬇️ www.justsecurity.org/133928/immig... 1/🧵
NEW What the Palestine Action appeal decision tells us about terrorism law An already broad law is now matched with broad ministerial powers The Weekly Constitutional at @prospectmagazine.co.uk www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
The EWCA's Ammori decision marks a dismal low in the courts' scrutiny of national security issues. In a new post on @verfassungsblog.de, @alangreene.bsky.social, @daniellalock.bsky.social and I examine the depressing tricks by which rights protections disappear: verfassungsblog.de/palestine-ac...
All eyes to the Court of Appeal in London at 11am for the hand down of a special five judge decision (in light of the importance of the issues at stake) on the lawfulness of the UK Govt's Palestine Action ban: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
High Court to rule on Palestine Action terror group ban
Three judges ruled in February that the then-home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action was unlawful
independent.co.uk
🎉𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸! 🎉 Danielle’s thesis title was ‘𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝗔 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗼-𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀’.
The claimants in the private school fees VAT challenge have been granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. I think this is pretty surprising - the claim is substantively very weak, and it involves no novel legal points. www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2...
R (on the application of BYL (by their litigation friend BAU)) and another (Appellants) v Chancellor of the Exchequer and others (Respondents) - UK Supreme Court
In 2025 the government introduced VAT on private school fees. The appellants are religious private schools, their pupils, and their pupils’ parents. Was the introduction of VAT on private school fe...
supremecourt.uk
In this post I explain the Supreme Court's recent decision overturning Cheshire West, what this now means for understanding what a deprivation of liberty looks like, and offer some brief comments on the reasoning and implications of the judgment administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com/2026/06/04/w...
What is a deprivation of liberty?
Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) protects the right to liberty, and guarantees that nobody shall be “deprived” of their liberty unless certain conditions, set out in that…
administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com
Delighted to discover the Europe Explained podcast; latest episode has an Irish perspective on the ECHR, incl its role in the peace process and securing social change, with @niaolainf.bsky.social and Daniel Holder of @cajni.bsky.social among interviewees www.coe.int/en/web/porta...
With Friday strike, over 200 people killed by US military in alleged drug boat strikes. Overwhelming consensus of experts, myself included, assess these to be murder because no armed conflict (and war crime if it were armed conflict). 200 killed also raises serious question: crime against humanity
Timeline of Boat Strikes and Related Actions
A timeline that chronicles major events in the Trump administration’s campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers.
justsecurity.org
Significant development on $1.8 billion fund: Federal court responds favorably to motion by 35 former federal judges. Their motion asked court reopen the case to see whether a fraud was perpetrated on the court to effectuate the "settlement." Judge responds⤵️
![Here, the non-party movants advance grievous allegations that Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed this litigation solely to avoid judicial scrutiny of a lawsuit that “was collusive from the start” and was only filed to provide the imprimatur of legality for an unlawful settlement. (DE 63 at 16). They point to the fact that the settlement in question includes a “three-paragraph addendum2 . . . [that] purports to ‘forever bar[] and preclude[]’ the United States from pursuing claims that could have been [otherwise] asserted [against] Plaintiffs,” (Id. at 8), and highlight the fact that Defendants did not “even try[] to defend against Plaintiffs’ claims” despite their active opposition to nearly identical claims in other litigation.3 (Id. at 16). Finally, the non-party movants assert that Plaintiffs’ claims were “clearly untimely” and therefore untenable. (Id.).
Accordingly, it is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that Plaintiffs shall file a response to the Motion (DE 63) on or before June 12, 2026, detailing their position on the matters set forth in the Motion, including (1) the charges of collusion and whether the Parties are truly adverse; (2) the assertion that the dismissal in this case was premised on deception by the Parties; and (3) the question of whether the case should be reopened because the Court was the “victim of a fraud.” (DE 63 at 13, citing 11 Charles Alan Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2870 (3d ed.)). The non-party movants may, if they choose, file a reply on or before June 19, 2026. DONE AND ORDERED in Chambers in Miami, Florida, on this 29th day of May, 2026.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:mcxwgi6ytwp72kzqmujcixep/bafkreifuo5e453q3zx2tpbfaa2jyaofeypzqch26accnbmh5riu5ijf2qa)
This is a longer version of the piece I did for the Morrigan Blog on the Dillon Decision in the UK Supreme Court focusing on the continuities in the descriptions of the Irish as violent & producing silences amongsts those not identified as 'sectarian' criticallegalthinking.com/2026/05/27/w...
Women and Colonialism in the UK Supreme Court’s decision in Re Dillon (2026)
There are many extraordinary things about the UK Supreme Court’s (UKSC) decision in Dillon. It unpicks at least half of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework
criticallegalthinking.com
❗Leaving the ECHR would jeopardise the UK’s national security and hinder its efforts to tackle irregular migration, say a group of former justice secretaries and attorneys-general👇 🔗 www.ft.com/content/b3e4... via @financialtimes.com
Leaving ECHR would jeopardise UK national security, say centrist Tories
Former ministers claim withdrawal from human rights agreement is a ‘false solution’ to combat irregular migration
ft.com
It's me Vs Jim Allister this morning over the implications of Dillon for trans rights. There' s been a (wrong) narrowing of Art 2 by the UKSC, but on gender para 118 is key, the Annex 1 Directives should continue to have direct effect, so EU law claims remain arguable: share.google/tGsVRo0brH0Y...
My take on the UKSC's Dillon judgment - it is a combination of regressive and dubious reasoning. It radically reduces the range of cases in which Art 2 is applicable, in reasoning which flies in the face of the UK Government's promises over the provision: ukconstitutionallaw.org/2026/05/14/c...
Colin Murray: Hollowing out Northern Ireland’s Post-Brexit Rights Protections in Re Dillon [2026] UKSC 15
The Good and Faithful Servants One of the foundational assertions of judicial approaches to legislation in the UK comes from Willes J in Lee v Bude and Torrington Railway Co: We sit here as servant…
ukconstitutionallaw.org
British politics is resembling the rest of Europe: • Multi-party competition has replaced two-party dominance • Challengers are on the rise, esp. the populist right • Political realignment centres on identity politics (incl Brexit) But FPTP is poorly suited to this fragmentation
🚨Upcoming Event: “UK Supreme Court Dillon and Others judgment – analysis and what next?” June 3rd | 10am | Ulster University Belfast Room BC-00-307 From legacy issues to Article 2 of Windsor Framework/Protocol, this will be an important and timely event. RSVP via the link 🔗 👉 lnkd.in/eHGKwgsm
Out of roughly a million panels on the ICON Conference this year, I've put together the one panel that mentions Brexit in the title. You might think this means that the party has moved on. I'm here to tell you at length that the core-periphery relations now in play will continue to define Europe...
New blog from me and Marion Sandner for Strasbourg Observers on the recent ECtHR case of DA and RA v United Kingdom. One day I will publish something which doesn't feature a dig at the UKSC's decision in SC, but today is not that day... strasbourgobservers.com/2026/05/01/d...
DA and RA v the United Kingdom: (a return to?) maximum deference in socio-economic matters - Strasbourg Observers
By Lewis Graham and Marion Sandner Introduction When determining whether an interference with a Convention right relating to socio-economic matters has been justified by a state, the European Court of...
strasbourgobservers.com
