Frances Fitzgerald announces second Special Criminal Court

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald announced the creation of a second Special Criminal Court on 28 October 2015. She said it would address a 20-month waiting list and bring serious State-security and certain organised-crime cases to trial more quickly.

Criminal barrister Michael O’Higgins called the move reasonable but said its need should remain under constant review. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties opposed the proposal, saying the existing court already breached Ireland’s international legal obligations.