Brexit court case timetable: When is Gina Miller verdict? Did Boris Johnson break the law?
The Brexit court case at the Supreme Court, the highest court in the UK, will follow separate cases against the Government and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s advice to Queen Elizabeth II to suspend Parliament for five weeks, until October 14. The court case, starting on Tuesday, September 17, will hear two appeals that will determine whether Mr Johnson acted lawfully in suspending Parliament for five weeks. Last week, Scotland’s highest civil court, the Court of Session, found in favour of a cross-party group of politicians and ruled the Prime Minister’s suspension of Parliament was unlawful.
But London’s High Court, who heard a case brought by business woman Gina Miller which claimed the shutdown was “an unlawful abuse of power”, was rejected.
The judges said they rejected her claim because the suspension of Parliament was a “purely political” move and was therefore “not a matter for the courts”.
The court case, which will take place over the next three days, will see the Government appeal against the ruling in Scotland, while Ms Miller is appealing against London’s High Court judgement.
In total, 11 of the Supreme Court justices will hear legal arguments from the English and Scottish court cases.
The highlight of the whole case will come on Thursday when former Prime Minister John Major makes his verbal submission to the Supreme Court.
Mr Major, who suspended Parliament for three weeks in 1997, will lay out why he believes Mr Johnson has broken the law.
The Institute for Government has said that while the Supreme Court will “probably” try to render English and Scottish law as consistent – it could “in theory agree with both the English High Court and the Scottish Court of Session.”
But it added they can “rule the prorogation was lawful under English law but not under Scottish law”.
“In that case, the prorogation would be unlawful in the UK overall,” the institute said.
Brexit court case – TIMETABLE
Day 1, September 17
10.30am to 1pm: Miller Appellants
2pm to 4pm: Advocate General for Scotland Appellants from IH in Cherry
Day 2, September 18
10.30am to 1pm: UK Government Respondents in Miller
2pm to 4pm: Cherry v AG Respondents
Day 3, September 19
10.30am to 11am: Oral Intervention by Scottish Government in Cherry/Miller
11am to 11.40am: Oral Intervention by NI Claimant in Cherry/Miller
11.40am to 12.10pm: Oral Intervention by Sir John Major
2pm to 2.30pm: AG for Scotland Appellants reply in Cherry
2.30pm to 3pm: Miller Appellants reply
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