THE hearing of the case to test the constitutionality of the Equal Status Bill was fixed yesterday by the Supreme Court for June 10th next.
The Bill was referred on Wednesday last by the President, Mrs Robinson, to the Supreme Court under Article 26 of the Constitution. The court has 60 days from the date of referral to give judgment.
This is the second Bill referred to the Supreme Court by the President recently. On May 6th, the five judges reserved judgment on the constitutionality of the Employment Equality Bill and that is still awaited. The same legal teams will appear for the new referral.
The Equal Status Bill provides' for protection against discrimination for travellers, certain religious groups, homosexuals, and people with some disabilities, among others.
When it was debated in the Oireachtas, there were claims the new legislation could impinge on the rights of traders and publicans and club managers, in particular, to refuse admission to troublemakers or antisocial elements.
Yesterday in the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Hamilton, said the court would sit at 2 p.m. on June 10th next to hear the question of whether or not the Bill was repugnant to the Constitution.
The court had assigned counsel to argue against the Bill. They are Mr Eoin McGonigal SC, Ms Fidelma Macken SC, and barristers Mr Felix McEnroy and Mr Paul Gardiner, instructed by the Law Society president, Mr Frank Daly.
The team representing the Attorney General will argue for the constitutionality of the Bill. These are Ms Mary Finlay SC, Mr Diarmaid McGuinness SC, and barristers Mr Gerard Hogan and Mr Maurice Collins.