Judicial Review Flashcards
What are the 3 stages of a judicial review hearing?
Pre-action protocol
Permission stage
Substantive hearing
O’Reilly v Mackman establishes what about the use of judicial review proceedings?
It is an abuse of process to use ordinary / private proceedings to avoid limitations on a judicial review claim.
Procedural exclusivity means…
Public law issues must be litigated through judicial review.
How is it established that a body is a public body?
The source and nature of powers tests.
Source of powers test?
Where does the public body’s power come from?
Statute / prerogative usually indicate a body is public.
R v Disciplinary Committee of the Jockey Club ex p Aga Khan establishes…
Where there is a private or contractual relationship between parties, this indicates it is a private relationship (thus not amenable to judicial review).
Nature of powers test?
Where a public body has ‘contracted out’ to a private one, does the private body become amenable to judicial review?
R v Servite Houses ex p Goldsmiths establishes…
Whether a private body is amenable to judicial review depends on the ‘public element or flavour’ of the arrangement.
R (Beer) v Hants Farmers Markets Ltd establishes…
Local government that had set up a private company, which WAS held to be amenable to judicial review as was set up by the local authority (public body).
If a local government has set up a private company, will the private company be amenable to judicial review?
Goldsmiths - depends on the ‘public element or flavour’ of the arrangement.
BUT
R (Beer) v Hants Farmers Markets Ltd - private company was held to be a public body as the local authority set it up.
Sharma v Brown-Antione establishes…
Courts refuse leave to claim judicial review if there is not a realistic prospect of success.
What does s.31 Senior Courts Act 1981 - as amended by s.84 Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 - establish about standing for judicial review?
Standing for judicial review will only be granted where it is ‘highly likely’ a ‘substantially different outcome’ would result.
Who has discretion as to the sufficient interest test?
The court
Which case clarified the ‘sufficient interest’ test?
IRC v National Federation of the Self Employed / Fleet Street Casuals case.
What is the current test for establishing sufficient interest? Source?
Lord Wilberforce in Fleet Street Casuals:
The powers and duties in law of those against whom a remedy is asked.
Position of the applicant in relation to those powers or duties, and
The breach alleged.
Name the 4 cases relating to group standing
1) Rose Theatre Trust
2) Greenpeace
3) World Development movement
4) Good Law Project
Was standing granted in Rose Theatre Trust Co? Why?
No.
As none of the individuals in the group had sufficient standing on their own, and individuals cannot band together to claim greater interest.
Was standing granted in Greenpeace? Why?
Yes.
2500 members lived in the area so all had sufficient standing both alone and as part of the group.
What were the 3 reasons standing was granted in the Greenpeace case?
Nature of the applicants
Interests in issues raised
Remedy sought to achieve and the nature of the relief sought.
What 6 reasons were given by the court in the World Development Movement case for granting standing?
Merits of the challenge
Importance of the rule of law
Importance of the issue raised
Absence of another responsible challenger
Nature of the breach of duty
Prominent role of applicants
What does the Good Law Project case establish about group standing for bodies set up to hold the government to account?
That no single body, even with a ‘sincere interest in public law issues’ can have standing in every judicial review case.
R (Cowl) v Plymouth City Council establishes…
If there is another remedy or route of redress possible, permission for judicial review will NOT be allowed.
What is the time limit to bring a judicial review claim? Source?
3 months from when the decision was made.
Part 54.5 Civil Procedure Rules.
Name 3 alternative remedies to judicial review
Tribunal
Appeal panel
Internal / mandatory review.
What are the 3 common law grounds of judicial review?
Illegality
Irrationality
Procedural impropriety
In which case were the 3 common law grounds of judicial review codified?
GCHQ (Lord Diplock)
What is simple ultra vires?
Where a public body has acted outside its powers.
Attorney General v Fulham Corporation establishes…
That a public body’s decision will be ultra vires where the body has not understood the powers delegated to them.
Which case reconciled the two separate heads of judicial review, errors of fact and errors of law?
Anisminic
What does R v Home Department ex p Khawaja establish?
Beliefs are insufficient and that facts must be established based on evidence.
What are the 4 elements of errors of fact as set out in E v Secretary of State for the Home Department?
Must be a mistake of existing fact / availability of evidence on a matter.
Fact or evidence must be ‘established’ so it is uncontentious and objectively verifiable.
Appellant or his advisors must not have been responsible for the mistake.
Mistake must play a material but not necessarily decisive part in the tribunals reasoning.
What are the 4 subdivisions of discretion?
Improper purpose
Relevant / irrelevant considerations
Wrongful delegation
Fettering discretion
Case concerning improper purpose?
Padfield
Case concerning irrelevant considerations?
R v Secretary of State for the Home Department ex parte Venables and Thompson.
R v SSHD ex p Venables and Thompson
Home Secretary’s taking of account of The Sun Newspaper petitions was an irrelevant consideration - it was the judge’s recommendation that should have been given weight to.
Case concerning wrongful delegation?
Barnard v National Dock Labour Board
What is the Carltona Principle?
Delegation of administrative functions from Ministers to Civil Servants is generally acceptable.
What is a policy that fetters discretion?
Application of a policy so rigid that it prevents proper consideration of merits.
What is set out under s.149 Equality Act 2010?
That public bodies must have ‘due regard’ to the public sector equality duty when making decisions.
Key case on fettering discretion?
British Oxygen Co Ltd v Minister for Technology
Name 2 reasons why the courts only act in a supervisory capacity when exercising judicial review?
1) Institutional capacity
2) Democratic legitimacy
Brackling v Secretary of State for Work and Pension establishes…
Evidence is required of engagement with the public sector equality duty to satisfy the s.149 requirement.
What did Lord Diplock define Wednesbury Unreasonableness as in GCHQ?
A decision is Wednesbury Unreasonable if it is:
‘so outrageous in its defiance of logic or accepted moral standards that no sensible person who had applied his mind to the question to be decided could have arrived at it.’