The Supreme Court yesterday fixed July 17th for the hearing of an appeal by Limerick college lecturer Mr Denis Riordan against the High Court's refusal to restrain the nomination of former Supreme Court Judge Hugh O'Flaherty as vice-president of the European Investment Bank.
The Chief Justice, Mr Justice Keane, said it seemed appropriate that the court should also adjourn until July 17th an application by the Government and State to strike out various grounds of Mr Riordan's appeal, and an application by Mr Riordan to add new grounds to it.
The judge said that left the question of whether the Government or the State was proposing to take further steps in relation to Mr O'Flaherty between now and the date of the hearing of Mr Riordan's appeal.
Mr James O'Reilly SC, for the Government and State, said when the matter was last before the court a week ago he had given an undertaking that his clients would not take any further steps before yesterday and he was willing to continue that undertaking until the hearing of the appeal.
Three weeks ago, the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Morris, rejected a claim by Mr Riordan, of Clonconane, Redgate, Limerick, that the procedure adopted to nominate Mr O'Flaherty was a failure on the part of the Government to hold all citizens equal before the law.