Couple to issue renewed legal challenge to Civil Registration Act in bid for marriage

Dr Ann Louise Gilligan and her partner Senator Katherine Zappone are to issue a fresh legal challenge this week in their fight…

Dr Ann Louise Gilligan and her partner Senator Katherine Zappone are to issue a fresh legal challenge this week in their fight to be married under Irish law.

The new challenge, set to be heard in the High Court, will seek to test the provisions of the Civil Registration Act 2004, which marked the first time marriage was defined in Irish statute as between a man and a woman, and the Civil Partnership Act 2010, which prohibits people who have registered a civil partnership from marrying.

The Constitution does not include a definition of marriage, but includes a commitment to equality for all citizens. The couple launched an unsuccessful Supreme Court appeal against the Civil Registration Act 2004 Act last October and had been planning a new challenge.

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor is a former Irish Times business journalist