State not trying to 'usurp' courts by seeking reference to Europe in Ian Bailey case, lawyers argue

Lawyers for the Minister for Justice have said they are not trying to “usurp” the courts by asking the High Court to refer an Irish Supreme Court decision to Europe.

The assertion came a day after the Minister for Justice was accused of insulting the Irish courts by seeking to go around a Supreme Court judgment placing an “absolute bar” on Ian Bailey's extradition to France in relation to the death of Sophie Tuscan du Plantier.