Constitutional question over proposed asylum law

President Michael D Higgins is expected to decide today if he should refer a new asylum law to the Supreme Court amid concern aspects of it are in conflict with the Constitution’s definition of the family.

He convened his advisors on the Council of State yesterday for only the second time in his presidency, and afterwards said he would make his decision by midnight tonight.

Three aspects of the International Protection Bill, which was recently passed by the coalition through the Dáil, led to the convening of the Council of State. The council, which includes current and former office holders and members of the judiciary, was asked to consider the Bill’s constitutional validity, addressing whether new rules on family reunification for asylum seekers contravene the Constitution.