High Court (Ireland) in the context of "Supreme Court of Ireland"

The Courts of Ireland consist of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Circuit Court, the District Court and the Special Criminal Court. With the exception of the Special Criminal Court, all courts exercise both civil and criminal jurisdiction, although when the High Court is exercising its criminal jurisdiction it is known as the Central Criminal Court.

The courts apply the laws of Ireland. There are four sources of law in Ireland: the Constitution, European Union law, statute law and the common law. Under the Constitution, trials for serious offences must usually be held before a jury. Except in exceptional circumstances, court hearings must occur in public. The High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court have authority, by means of judicial review, to determine the compatibility of the common law and statute law with the Constitution. Similarly, the courts may determine the compatibility of the common law with statute law.

The Four Courts (Irish: Na Ceithre Cúirteanna) is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Until 2010 the building also housed the Central Criminal Court; this is now located in the Criminal Courts of Justice building.

The Court of Appeal (Irish: An Chúirt Achomhairc) is a court in Ireland that sits between the High Court and Supreme Court. Its jurisdiction derives from Article 34.4. It was established in 2014, taking over the existing appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in 2014 and replacing the Court of Criminal Appeal and the Courts-Martial Appeal Court (subject to transitional provisions). Appeals to the Supreme Court are at that Court's discretion.

The Circuit Court (Irish: An Chúirt Chuarda) of Ireland is an intermediate level court of local and limited jurisdiction which hears both civil and criminal matters. On the criminal side the Circuit Court hears criminal matters tried on indictment with a judge and jury, except for certain serious crimes which are tried in either the Central Criminal Court or the Special Criminal Court. On the civil side the Circuit Court has a considerable parallel jurisdiction — including equitable remedies — with the High Court but normally cannot award damages of more than €75,000. The Circuit Court also hears de novo appeals from the District Court in both civil and criminal matters.

The Circuit Court consists of a President and thirty-seven ordinary judges and six specialist judges. It is composed of eight circuits, each of which cover an ad hoc region of the state. One judge is assigned to each circuit except in Dublin where ten judges may be assigned, and Cork, where there is provision for three judges. The President of the District Court is an ex officio member of the Circuit Court.

The District Court (Irish: An Chúirt Dúiche) is the lowest court in the Irish court system and the main court of summary jurisdiction in Ireland. It has responsibility for hearing minor criminal matters, small civil claims, liquor licensing, and certain family law applications. It is also responsible for indicting the accused and sending them forward for trial at the Circuit Court and Central Criminal Court.

A Central Criminal Court refers to major legal court responsible for trying crimes within a given jurisdiction. Such courts include:

• Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey, the name which the Crown Court uses when sitting in the City of London
• Central Criminal Court, the name for the High Court of Ireland when it is hearing a criminal case
• Central Criminal Court of Iraq

Judicial review in the Republic of Ireland is a way for the Superior Courts to supervise the Oireachtas to make sure that legislation does not conflict with the Constitution."Superior Courts" refers to either the High Court of Ireland, the Court of Appeal of Ireland or the Supreme Court of Ireland and is a specific reference to the greater width of their jurisdiction in comparison to Ireland's lower courts (that is, the District Court and the Circuit Court).An applicant for judicial review in Ireland must start by applying for leave to seek judicial review. This acts as a filter of entirely spurious or unfounded matters. Having been granted leave, the applicant must then remake the entire application for judicial review whereupon the Court will set a date for hearing.

All judicial review in Ireland is conducted by the High Court unless the applicant wants a review of any decision, activity, ruling or rule of the High Court whereby the review is conducted by the Supreme Court (including appeals of decisions previously made in High Court judicial reviews)