Mary Stokes loses Supreme Court admissions appeal

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

Mary Stokes lost her Supreme Court appeal over school admissions policy, reported on 24 February 2015. The case concerned her son John Stokes being refused a place at Christian Brothers High School in Clonmel.

Mary argued that prioritising sons of former pupils indirectly discriminated against Traveller children. The court dismissed the appeal after judges ruled that the evidence did not establish John had suffered a particular disadvantage.

Three judges also found that the relevant provision of the Equal Status Act did not allow a further Supreme Court appeal. The school had already won appeals before the Circuit Court and High Court.