I have written a short piece for the Irish Times concerning school admissions and the Equal Status Act. The article has been published here. I may in due course develop this into a longer article for a journal in which I can provide evidence for each aspect, and tease out the issues in more depth.
Some extra points:
The Supreme Court case is Stokes v Christian Brothers High School [2015] IESC 13.
My article only discusses the main judgment in the case, agreed by three judges. It does not discuss the other judgment in the case, in which two judges found that the Supreme Court did not have jurisdiction to hear an appeal in a case such as this.
The Equality Authority appeared as amicus curiae in this case. See the press release of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (which replaces the Equality Authority).
Aisling Twomey writes in the Irish Examiner about how travellers would thrive if they were given the opportunity.
The earlier stages are as follows:
- Equality Tribunal - DEC-S2010-056
- Teehan J., Circuit Court - [2011] IECC 1
- McCarthy J., High Court, 3 February 2012 - http://tinyurl.com/stokes-HC
- Olivia Smith, ‘Perpetuating Traveller children’s educational disadvantage in Ireland: Legacy rules and the limits of indirect discrimination’ (2014) 14 International Journal of Discrimination and the Law 145 (Sage Journals)
- Mel Cousins, "Travellers, equality and school admission in the High Court: Stokes v Christian Brothers High School Clonmel" - http://works.bepress.com/mel_cousins/22
- Page at Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments Project
