Legal Affairs
Retaining juries in defamation cases ‘a victory for democracy’
Retired High Court judge Bernard Barton welcomes findings of Oireachtas report into proposed legislation
A Oireachtas committee recommendation to retain juries in defamation actions has been welcomed by a retired High Court judge as a “a victory for democracy”.
The cross-party Oireachtas Justice Committee, which scrutinised proposed legislation on defamation reform, said in a report published this week that juries should be retained in order to make findings of fact and an indicative assessment of damages.
But, it said a judge should be the final arbiter of the level ...