WRC dismisses Olumide Smith’s Equal Status complaint against The Courts Service

The WRC dismissed Olumide Smith’s Equal Status complaint against The Courts Service as misconceived and found it had no jurisdiction to investigate or adjudicate it; the merits were not decided. Smith alleged racist harassment, discrimination and victimisation by a judge during court proceedings. The Courts Service said it was not the judge’s employer and that court proceedings were not a service under the Equal Status Act. The decision was dated 7 October 2021. The adjudicator said judicial decision-making was not a service under the Act and was immune from suit.