High Court rejects objections to Ireland marriage referendum
The Irish High Court has rejected two objections to the outcome of the referendum on same-sex marriage.
A landslide 62% of voters approved same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland, making the country the first in the world to introduce it via popular vote.
The High Court heard arguments today that claimed the result was unduly influenced and should be considered invalid.
Gerry Walshe claimed the Yes campaign had too many posters in comparison to the No side, and this was a sign of bias in funding.
He said: “This is not an anti-gay issue, it’s a failure of the referendum process.
“I take it as an accepted principle that the government are not allowed to fund a campaign to achieve a particular result.”
In a separate complaint, Maurice Lyons is reported to have argued that the referendum was unlawful, and would introduce confusion into the constitution.
Judge Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns found there were no grounds to support either case, and said putting same-sex marriage on hold was not an option.
He said: “There could be couples with serious illnesses with plans that could be put on hold.”
The Republic of Ireland has also started to push through with progressive gender recognition proposals.
