The orange order dispute over Drumcree was back before judges on Monday after Sir Chris Bryant banned the march on Friday following police advice. Portadown Orangemen challenged that decision, while Garvaghy Road residents pressed a separate case over the original parade ruling.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher had urged the Secretary of State to intervene on Friday, and the ban eased the immediate security situation. The march had been due to go ahead on 27 September, with 35 members of Portadown District Orange Lodge due to lead it.
Belfast High Court on Saturday
An emergency hearing took place at Belfast High Court on Saturday and was adjourned until Monday. That left the dispute in court while the ban stayed in place and the original Parades Commission decision allowing the parade was not struck down.
Portadown Orangemen sought permission to challenge the Secretary of State's decision on a number of grounds, including the police assessment of the situation. That keeps the focus on the basis for the ban rather than the march itself.
Court of Appeal and Garvaghy Road Residents
The Court of Appeal was set to rule on Monday whether the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition could contest the Parades Commission determination. A lawyer for the residents' group had argued that the commission's decision was flawed in the way it weighed the potential for disorder if the parade was permitted.
The dispute dates back to the blocked route on Garvaghy Road, where an unlawful protest led to a two-week stand-off after the parade was due on 27 September. The current cases leave both sides in play: one attacking the ban, the other attacking the ruling that let the parade stand in the first place.
Linda O'Neill says 11-day deadlock widens Orange Order Garvaghy Road Dispute tracks how the deadlock deepened, but Monday's court action is the immediate test of whether either side can shift the ruling that now governs the dispute.
