Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“The comments of the Lord Chief Justice are remarkable- remarkably foolish!
“I have much respect for Sir Declan Morgan, having known him for many years, going back to when we sat the Bar exams together. But, it is, in my opinion, no function of the LCJ to get down among the politicians debating a live Bill that is before Parliament. Parliament, not judges, make legislation.
“Moreover, it would be no surprise if one of our serial judicial reviewers on legal aid contrived a challenge to aspects of a Bill on which the LCJ has already taken a partisan stance.
“Of course, the LCJ is interested in the rule of law, but I must say I have heard nothing from him about the deputy First Minister’s flagrant breach of the rule of law at the Storey funeral!
“Furthermore, his reported comments about former Victims’ Commissioner Judith Thompson fall well outside his remit. The decision to re-appoint Ms Thompson last year was met with dismay by many innocent victims in 2019 and small wonder. Her support for a terrorist on the Victims’ Forum at the expense of an elderly innocent victim showed that she was totally unsuited for the job. A victims commissioner who has lost the support of innocent victims holds an untenable position. It is regrettable that the Lord Chief Justice has chosen to involve himself in this matter at all but one might have hoped that having decided to comment he might at least have considered the position of many people who have a right to look to the courts for justice for their loved ones who have been stolen from them or who have suffered grievous life-changing injuries.”