A v Minister for Justice & Equality & Ors, S v Minister for Justice & Equality & Ors, I v Minister for Justice & Equality & Ors (Approved) [2020] IESC 70 (08 December 2020)

A v Minister for Justice & Equality & Ors, S v Minister for Justice & Equality & Ors, I v Minister for Justice & Equality & Ors (Approved) [2020] IESC 70 (08 December 2020)

A High Court judge must provide reasons for not following a co-ordinate precedent; tacit or implicit disagreement is insufficient. Legal certainty and the administration of justice require explicit reasoning when departing from horizontal precedent.

Citation
[2020] IESC 70
Parties
Applicants/respondents: A, S and I; Appellants/respondents: The Minister for Justice and Equality, Ireland and the Attorney General
Jurisdiction
Ireland
Judgment Date
08 December 2020
Procedural Posture
Supreme Court Appeal / Judgment on Appeal
Outcome
Other
Legal Topics
Family Reunification, Refugee Status, Precedent (stare Decisis and Res Judicata), Interpretation of International Protection Act 2015

Case Brief

Summary, issues, holding and outcome

More case intelligence is available

Unlock the full research layer for this judgment.

Full judgment text Downloadable case file Legal principles 2 Authorities cited 9 Party arguments 2
Sign in to unlock

Parties

A, S and I

Applicants/respondents

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Ireland and the Attorney General

Appellants/respondents

Procedural Posture

Supreme Court Appeal / Judgment on Appeal

  1. 1 Whether a High Court judge must provide reasons for departing from a co-ordinate (horizontal) precedent
  2. 2 Interpretation of Section 56 of the International Protection Act 2015 regarding family reunification for refugees and those with subsidiary protection

Ratio Decidendi

A High Court judge must provide reasons for not following a co-ordinate precedent; tacit or implicit disagreement is insufficient. Legal certainty and the administration of justice require explicit reasoning when departing from horizontal precedent.

Court Disposition

Other