Statement of the President of the High Court
Following the piloting of remote hearings of a number of applications and the adaptation of courtrooms to enable their use in conformity with Covid 19 health requirements, it will be possible to expand both the type and number of cases to be heard from Monday 18 May 2020.
Three courts will be available for remote hearings daily and seven other courts in the Four Courts complex will be available for physical hearings daily.
Until further notice it will not be possible to hear cases which involve oral testimony.
In addition to the urgent cases which have been heard since the emergency began, I am authorising the following matters to be heard
1. Insolvency matters both corporate and personal.
2. Judicial review applications including Strategic Infrastructure challenges.
3. Probate non contentious business.
4. All Family Law applications including adoption matters.
5. Commercial list cases.
6. Chancery list cases.
7. Non Jury list cases.
8. Criminal Asset Bureau cases.
Priority will be given to cases which were listed for hearing and had to be adjourned because of the emergency. Parties will be contacted by court staff to ascertain their readiness for hearings.
The Whit vacation will not be observed this year and the High Court will sit throughout it because of the emergency situation.
Judgments will continue to be delivered electronically and since commencement of this practice the Court has delivered 71 Judgments.
I want to remind Practitioners of Practice Direction HC89 - which provides that during the current Covid 19 emergency, consent orders may be made in the High Court without the necessity of parties attending in court.
Peter Kelly
President of the High Court
8th May 2020