{"id":20908,"date":"2021-04-14T10:09:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T14:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=20908"},"modified":"2021-04-14T10:09:07","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T14:09:07","slug":"irish-supreme-court-uses-remote-hearings-to-clear-backlog-of-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=20908","title":{"rendered":"Irish Supreme Court Uses Remote Hearings To Clear Backlog Of Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Chief Justice Frank Clarke (PA Archive\/PA Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>Virtual court hearings and online filing of appeals has helped clear the backlog of cases in the Supreme Court and slashed waiting times from a five-year high, a report has found.<\/p>\n

Changes in the court system brought about by the pandemic and new rules introduced last year has made the system more efficient, the report added.<\/p>\n

The annual report of the Supreme Court was launched on Wednesday by Chief Justice Frank Clarke.<\/p>\n

During what was described as an unprecedented and challenging year, the report shows significant improvements in waiting times for appeals to be heard, to a historic low of below 14 weeks.<\/p>\n

The Chief Justice said that some could have their hearings scheduled as early as June.<\/p>\n

Within weeks the Court was conducting all its business through remote hearings.<\/p>\n

The numbers of reserved judgments stood at six today, compared with up to 20 in other years.<\/p>\n

Justice Clarke said that the Supreme Court was operating with waiting times shorter than in living memory, and that it was approaching a point of being the shortest possible waiting time.<\/p>\n

Justice Clarke added: \u201cIn a truly unprecedented year, the Supreme Court moved quickly to conducting its work remotely, ensuring continuity in the Court\u2019s core function \u2013 the determination of cases that come before it.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing the announcement of Covid restrictions in March 2020, the Supreme Court in conjunction with the Courts Service, began to explore the possibility of remote hearings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin weeks the Court was conducting all its business through remote hearings. All apart from one appeal occurred by remote hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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