Aware that justice needs to be seen to be done, UK's top court comes to the Belfast public

The room pictured. top, is part of the Inn of Court of the Bar Library of Northern Ireland, writes Ben Lowry.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Apr 2018, 18:54 BST
Updated 30th Apr 2018, 20:02 BST
The Inn of Court, which is in The Bar Library off the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, ahead of the sitting there of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on April 20 2018. Picture taken from Bar of NI twitter feed @TheBarofNI with permission from the BarThe Inn of Court, which is in The Bar Library off the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, ahead of the sitting there of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on April 20 2018. Picture taken from Bar of NI twitter feed @TheBarofNI with permission from the Bar
The Inn of Court, which is in The Bar Library off the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, ahead of the sitting there of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on April 20 2018. Picture taken from Bar of NI twitter feed @TheBarofNI with permission from the Bar

It is a library but has been used in various roles in the past, including as a venue for receptions and dinners.

Yesterday it became the highest court in the UK, as in the picture above, and the transition seemed the most natural thing in the world.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The long room provided ample viewing spaces for the important proceedings taking place at its far end, where the judges sat along a wide bench. As they listened to or grilled lawyers in the case, court officials sat behind them.

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom sitting in the Inn of Court, which is in The Bar Library off the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, on April 20 2018. The president of the court, Lady Hale, is on the left of the picture, while the former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Lord Kerr, is on the right looking down, wearing glasses. Picture taken from Bar of NI twitter feed @TheBarofNI with permission from the BarThe Supreme Court of the United Kingdom sitting in the Inn of Court, which is in The Bar Library off the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, on April 20 2018. The president of the court, Lady Hale, is on the left of the picture, while the former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Lord Kerr, is on the right looking down, wearing glasses. Picture taken from Bar of NI twitter feed @TheBarofNI with permission from the Bar
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom sitting in the Inn of Court, which is in The Bar Library off the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, on April 20 2018. The president of the court, Lady Hale, is on the left of the picture, while the former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Lord Kerr, is on the right looking down, wearing glasses. Picture taken from Bar of NI twitter feed @TheBarofNI with permission from the Bar

Observers and members of the public filed quietly in and out of the long room, so that only the justices and barristers could be heard, as they examined the merits of a case on extending a marital benefit to an unmarried couple. The decision in the case will have UK-wide ramifications, as do all Supreme Court decisions.

Lady Hale, president of the court and Britain’s most senior judge, began by saying how pleased she was to be holding a session of the court in Belfast.

Aware, perhaps, that there was more scrutiny on yesterday’s hearing than there would be on a typical sitting in London, she stayed cheerful as she berated one of the barristers for a lack of clarity as to which pages were being highlighted in the electronic bundle of documents in front of the court.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The legal expert Joshua Rosenberg was among the journalists watching events from the back of the court.

He said: “Courts increasingly understand they have to be accountable to the public.

“That means the public need to see justice being done. That can mean the court needs to come to the public.”

Related topics:BelfastCourtsBen LowrySupreme CourtLondon