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Hearings in the Supreme Court are now shown live on the Court’s website.

This week the Supreme Court sits in Belfast, with talks and events by the Justices planned throughout the week.

On Monday 30 April, the Supreme Court will hear the appeal of In the matter of an application by Siobhan McLaughlin for Judicial Review (Northern Ireland). This appeal will consider whether the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, s 39A(1), which provides for payment of a Widowed Parent’s Allowance, is incompatible with the ECHR, art 14 read with art 8 and/or art 1 of Protocol 1. This will be heard in the Northern Irish Inns of Court, Bar Library.

On Monday 30 April until Tuesday 1 May, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council will hear the appeal of Al Sadik v Investcorp Bank BSC & Ors. This appeal will consider whether the terms of the relevant share purchase agreement permitted the first respondent to invest the appellant’s monies via the fourth respondent and, in particular, to use the fourth respondent to borrow monies for the purpose of making leveraged investments, and whether the purchase of shares in the Fourth Respondent was itself an investment and, if so, whether this was permitted by the share purchase agreement. The appeal will also consider whether, assuming the terms of the share purchase agreement did not permit such an investment, there was, in any event, actionable loss, and whether the first instance judge ought to have found that the first respondent had acted deceitfully in the manner in which it carried out its reporting obligations to the appellant.  This will be heard in Courtroom 1.

On Tuesday 1 until Wednesday 2 May, the Supreme Court will hear the appeal of Lee v Ashers Baking Company Ltd & Ors. This appeal will consider whether the appellants directly discriminated against the respondent on grounds of sexual orientation, contrary to the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (NI) 2006, and religious and political belief, contrary to the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998, by refusing to make a cake decorated with the words ‘Support Gay Marriage’. It will also consider whether the relevant provisions of the 2006 Regulations and 1998 Order breached the appellants’ ECHR, art 9 or 10 rights, separately or together with art 14. This will be heard in the Northern Irish Inns of Court, Bar Library.

On Wednesday 2 May, the Supreme Court will hand down the judgment in R v McCool; R v Harkin (Northern Ireland). The hand down panel will be Lord Mance, Lord Kerr and Lady Black. This appeal considered whether a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, s 156 can be made by a Crown Court in circumstances where the defendant is convicted in proceedings before that Crown Court of an offence or offences which were committed before 24 March 2003, given the stipulations of the commencement, transitional and savings provisions set out in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Commencement No5, Transitional Provisions, Savings and Amendments) Order 2003, arts 2, 4 and 11.

Lady Hale has publically backed reform of family laws, including the removal of fault from the divorce process.

A full list of the cases scheduled for the Easter term can be found here.

The following Supreme Court judgments remain outstanding:

Keefe (by his litigation friend Eyton) v Hoteles Pinero Canarias SL, heard 7 Mar 2017.

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis v DSD & Anor, heard 13-14 Mar 2017.

Arcadia Petroleum Ltd & Ors v Bosworth & Anor, heard 10-11 Apr 2017.

Four Seasons Holdings Incorporated v Brownlie, heard 9-10 May 2017.

Reference by the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland pursuant to Paragraph 33 of Schedule 10 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Abortion), heard 24-26 Oct 2017.

R (Black) v Secretary of State for Justice, heard 31 Oct-1 Nov 2017.

R (AR) v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police & Anor, heard 21 Nov 2017.

R v McCool (Northern Ireland); R v Harkin (Northern Ireland), heard 23 Nov 2017.

R (Stott) v Secretary of State for Justice, heard 18 Jan 2018.

Cartier International AG & Ors v British Telecommunications Plc & Anor, heard 30 Jan 2018.

Rock Advertising Ltd v MWB Business Exchange Centres Ltd, heard 1 Feb 2018.

Warner-Lambert Company LLC v Generics (UK) Ltd t/a Mylan & Anor, heard 12-15 Feb 2018.

Williams & Anor v London Borough of Hackney, heard 14-15 Feb 2018.

Pimlico Plumbers Ltd & Anor v Smith, heard 20-21 Feb 2018.

Prudential Assurance Company Ltd v Commissioners for HMRC, heard 20-21 Feb 2018.

An NHS Trust & Ors v Y (by his litigation friend, the Official Solicitor), heard 26-27 Feb 2018.

Project Blue Ltd v Commissioners for HMRC, heard 28 Feb-1 Mar 2018.

James-Bowen & Ors v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, heard 6-7 Mar 2018.

R (Gallagher Group Ltd & Ors) v The Competition and Markets Authority, heard 13-14 Mar 2018.

Navigators Insurance Company Ltd & Ors v Atlasnavios-Navegacao LDA (formerly Bnavios Navegacao LDA), heard 20 Mar 2018.

Belhaj & Anor v DPP (expedited), heard 22 Mar 2018.

Commissioners for HMRC v Taylor Clark Leisure Plc (Scotland), heard 11 Apr 2018.

KO (Nigeria) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, & Or cases, heard 17-19 Apr 2018.

Goldman Sachs International v Novo Banco S.A., heard 17-18 Apr 2018.

R v AB & CD, heard 19 Apr 2018.

Banca Nazionale del Lavoro SPA v Playboy Club London Ltd & Ors, heard 24 Apr 2018.

Totel Ltd v Commissioners for HMRC, heard 25-26 Apr 2018.