24th September, 2019
The Supreme Court in the UK will give its judgment today on whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend the parliament was lawful.
The top UK court made this known in a statement on Monday.
“The Supreme Court has now heard the two prorogation-related judicial review cases. These took place between Sept. 17 and Sept. 19, 2019. The judgment hand-down will take place on Sept. 24 at 10:30,” the court said.
The parliament is to be prorogued from Sept. 9 to Oct. 14.
Two separate legal challenges were filed in England and Scotland, with their respective courts reaching different conclusions.
Scotland’s highest civil court ruled Boris Johnson’s suspension of the UK parliament was unlawful,
A panel of three judges at the Court of Session found in favour of a cross-party group of politicians who were challenging the prime minister’s move.
The judges said that the prime minister was attempting to prevent parliament holding the government to account ahead of Brexit.
On the other hand, England’s High Court said that the parliament suspension was a political rather than a legal matter.
It claimed that under Britain’s unwritten constitution, the suspension was a matter for politicians, not judges, to decide.
A panel of 11 justices will pass the final judgment which may reassert the parliamentary supremacy.
Lawmakers said they would pass a bill to stop a chaotic Brexit on Oct. 31 once they are back.
Government lawyer Richard Keen said that the prime minister would respect the Supreme Court’s decision but did not rule out that the Queen would be advised to shut the parliament again.