Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-21
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Rónán Mullen (IND), National University of Ireland

I wish to signal my strong support for this amendment. In particular, I point to the core wisdom in the proposed subsection (3) within the amendment, which is that if a matter is so serious that were it to be prosecuted by the State, the defendant or accused would be entitled to the protection of a trial by jury. That is what a trial by jury is; it is a form of protection. There is a reason why it is there as a right. If something that the State would seek to prosecute merits that level of protection, it seems that it is eminently reasonable that if somebody seeks to defend their good name against a grave accusation made by any party, they are similarly entitled to the protection of a jury trial.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-21