High Court (Ireland)

The High Court of Ireland is the superior court of first instance in the Irish court system, dealing with the most serious and important civil and criminal cases. When it sits as a criminal court it is called the Central Criminal Court and hears cases before a judge and a jury. It also acts as a court of appeal for civil cases from the Circuit Court, and it has the power to decide whether a law is constitutional and to review the acts of the government and other public bodies by judicial review. Its authority comes from Article 34 of the Constitution of Ireland, which gives it full original jurisdiction over all matters of law or fact, civil or criminal. The court normally hears cases in the Four Courts building in Dublin, although it also holds regular sittings outside the capital. The present court is the fourth in Ireland to carry the name, descending from the High Court of Justice created in 1877 and reorganised under the Courts of Justice Act 1924.