Northern Ireland Extends Court Video Link Rules to March 2027

If you saw this order and thought it looked like pure legal admin, you would not be alone. But the new rule matters because it quietly keeps in place the powers that let courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland use video and audio live links more widely. The Department of Justice made the order on 17 September 2026, and Minister of Justice Naomi Long signed it that same day. In simple terms, it pushes back the expiry date for these live-link provisions, so they now run until 24 March 2027 rather than ending in September 2026.

The legal wording comes from the Coronavirus Act 2020, a piece of legislation first created during the pandemic. Even though the emergency phase of Covid has passed, some of its court-related measures have been kept alive through extensions. This latest order does exactly that for Parts 1 and 2 of Schedule 27, along with the related part of section 57. **What this means:** this is not a brand-new system. It is an extension of existing powers. Courts and statutory tribunals in Northern Ireland can continue using wider video or audio live links for another six months, up to 24 March 2027.

That may still sound abstract, so it helps to pause on what live links actually do. They allow people involved in legal proceedings to join remotely rather than always being physically present in the room. Depending on the case, that could affect judges, lawyers, witnesses, defendants, experts, or other participants. For some people, that can make the justice system more workable. It can reduce travel, help where attendance in person is difficult, and allow hearings to go ahead with fewer delays. But it also raises a fair question that The Common Room audience will recognise straight away: if justice is moving onto screens, how do we make sure it stays open, fair and properly understood by the public?

That is where Part 2 matters. The explanatory note says the extended rules also support public participation in legal proceedings when live links are being used. At the same time, they protect proceedings from unauthorised recording or transmission. **Why that matters:** open justice is a public good. People should be able to see that courts are working fairly, not just be told that they are. But court hearings are not content for social media clips, private streams or casual reposting. The law is trying to hold both ideas together at once: public access on one side, and protection of the process on the other.

There is also a constitutional point here, and it is worth spelling out. This is a statutory rule made by the Department of Justice and then laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly under section 96(2) of the Coronavirus Act 2020. The order says it must be approved by a resolution of the Assembly within 40 days beginning with the day it was made. That matters because ministers are not simply acting without scrutiny. The previous extension, listed in the note as SR 2026 No.55, had already kept these provisions going until 24 September 2026. This new order avoids a gap by extending them again, this time until 24 March 2027.

For you as a reader, the bigger lesson is not just about one technical order. It is about how temporary legal powers can become part of everyday public life for longer than many people realise. Rules first justified in a crisis can continue through repeat extensions, and unless we pay attention, they can feel permanent without ever being fully explained in plain language. **What it means now:** courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland can keep using these broader live-link arrangements for another six months. **What to watch next:** whether the Assembly approves the order, whether ministers seek another extension after March 2027, and whether the Department of Justice publishes enough evidence to show that remote participation is improving access without weakening fairness.