Appeals court becoming overwhelmed
Mr Justice Seán Ryan said there were delays of over a year for most appeal hearings and the problem will get worse unless action is taken.
On its establishment in 2014, the 10-judge Court of Appeal inherited a Supreme Court backlog of 1,650 cases, which is now at about 650.
That backlog, plus about 600 new appeals annually from the High Court, means most appellants will wait at least a year before their case is heard. The appeal court has capacity to deal with about 320 appeals each year, Mr Justice Ryan said.
“It is well-known, despite the best efforts of an extremely talented and dedicated team, this court is not only being outpaced by the inflow of appeals from the High Court in civil matters but is coming to the point of being overwhelmed,” he said.
“The result unfortunately is an ever-lengthening list of cases seeking dates for hearing and schedules being arranged far into the future.”
He stressed he did not want to sound “over pessimistic” and there were “some encouraging” signs, including an offer from the chief justice to provide four Supreme Court judges to assist Appeal Court judges in hearing some of the legacy appeals over a two-week period from December 4.
He and hiscolleagues were “extremely appreciative” of the approach of the Supreme Court judges, “which reflects the very best collegiate spirit of the judiciary”, he said.
