Sinn Féin has won the right to mount a legal challenge against its exclusion from British government grants to help pay for elections to the House of Commons at Westminster.
In the High Court in Belfast, Mr Justice Kerr granted leave to seek a judicial review of the party's inability to apply for £133,920 sterling - the same amount available to the SDLP, UUP and the DUP.
Up to £2 million has been allocated to political parties throughout the UK under the terms of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
Grants are confined to parties with at least two MPs who have made an oath of allegiance to the Queen - which Sinn Féin's four MPs have refused to do.
Sinn Féin's four MPs at Westminster are party president Mr Gerry Adams, vice president Mr Pat Doherty, Mr Martin McGuinness and Ms Michelle Gildernew. They were granted House of Commons offices earlier this year.
Counsel for Sinn Féin, Mr Seamus Treacy, QC, argued that the party "does not recognise the sovereignty of the British monarch over any part of Ireland.
"Consequently, it has always been, and remains party policy, that the Applicant's members, elected to the parliament at Westminster, refuse to swear or affirm any oath of allegiance to the British monarch.
"It is submitted therefore that the requirement to take the oath or affirm allegiance to the Queen discriminates against the Applicant's political beliefs and denies the Applicant its constitutional right to freedom of expression."
Mr Treacy also argued that "the requirement for eligibility is particularly absurd in the Northern Ireland context where those who are elected at local government, Assembly and European elections are not required to take any oath as a precondition of taking office or availing of the facilities association with office.
"It seems rather odd therefore that the eligibility criteria for a grant to support the development of policies would require the Applicant to abandon part of its longstanding policy.
"No other party is required to fulfil a criteria which compromises that party's policies."
Mr Justice Kerr fixed the judicial review hearing for November 11th - or earlier in the event of an election being called before then.