Landmark Decisions of UK Courts (1981-2004)

Find here a selection of major constitutional and administrative decisions handed down by United Kingdom courts between 1981 and 2004

The following table was compiled using the Open Law Project – Constitutional Law hosted on the BAILII platform, as well as various British textbooks, treatises, and ‘Cases and Materials’ volumes.

The decisions are arranged in chronological order.

The topics selected here are: separation of powers; judicial review; devolution; fundamental rights; and major principles of constitutional law.

Citation

Court

Issue

Key-words

Summary

30

R v Inland Revenue Commissioners, ex p. National Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses Ltd [1981] UKHL 2

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Judicial Review

Standing

31

O’Reilly v Mackman [1983] UKHL 1

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Judicial Review

Exclusivity of judicial review ; scope of public law ; natural justice

32

Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service [1984] UKHL 9 (GCHQ Case)

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Judicial Review

Wednesbury unreasonableness ; rule of Law ; royal prerogative ; judicial review

33

R v HM Treasury, Ex Parte Smedley [1984] EWCA Civ 7

Court of Appeal

Judicial Review

Standing ; ultra vires

34

R (Datafin plc) v Panel on Take-overs and Mergers [1987] QB 815

Court of Appeal

Judicial Review

Scope of public law ; rule of Law ; judicial review

35

Attorney General v Guardian Newspapers Ltd (No 1) [1987] UKHL 13 (Spycatcher Case)

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Freedom of the press ; confidentiality ; ECHR

36

R (Factortame Ltd) v Secretary of State for Transport (No 1) [1989] UKHL 1 & R (Factortame Ltd) v Secretary of State for Transport (No 2) [1990] UKHL 13

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Separation of powers

EU law ; EU law supremacy ; parliamentary sovereignty

37

R v R [1991] UKHL 12

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Marital rape ; common-law fiction

38

Pepper v Hart [1992] UKHL 3

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Separation of powers

Parliamentary privileges ; legal interpretation ; Bill of Rights

39

Airedale Hospital Trustees v Bland [1993] UKHL 17

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Medical futility ; medical decision

40

M v Home Office [1994] UKHL 5

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Separation of powers

Rule of Law ; contempt of court ; judicial review

41

R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex Parte Doody [1993] UKHL 8

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Judicial Review

Duty to give reasons ; procedural fairness

42

R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex Parte Bentley [1993] EWHC Admin 2

High Court

Fundamental principles of constitutional law

Royal prerogative of mercy

43

R v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Ex Parte Lord Rees-Mogg [1993] EWHC Admin 4

High Court

Fundamental principles of constitutional law

EU law ; parliamentary sovereignty ; royal prerogative ; standing

44

R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex Parte Fire Brigades Union [1995] UKHL 3

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental principles of constitutional law

Royal prerogative

45

Mercury Communications Ltd v Director General of Telecommunications [1995] UKHL 12

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Judicial Review

Exclusivity of judicial review

46

R v Ministry of Defence, Ex Parte Smith [1995] EWCA Civ 22

Court of Appeal

Judicial Review

Non-discrimination ; sexual orientation ; Wednesbury unreasonableness

47

R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex Parte Pierson [1997] UKHL 37

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

lex retro non agit ; principle of legality

48

De Freitas v. The Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Lands and Housing and Others (Antigua and Barbuda) [1998] UKPC 30 (De Freitas)

Appellate Committee of the Privy Council

Judicial Review

Proportionality ; freedom of speech ; judicial review

49

R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Simms [1999] UKHL 33

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Separation of powers

Parliamentary sovereignty ; ECHR ; right to a fair trial ; principle of legality ; judicial review

50

In Re Pinochet (No 2) [1999] UKHL 52

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Judicial neutrality ; judicial independence ; impartial adjudication ; bias doctrine

51

R v North and East Devon Health Authority, ex parte Coughlan [1999] EWCA Civ 1871

Court of Appeal

Judicial Review

Legitimate expectations

52

R (Alconbury Developments Ltd) v Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions [2001] UKHL 23

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Judicial Review

Proportionality ; ECHR; interpretation

53

R (Daly) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2001] UKHL 26

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Judicial review ; ECHR ; proportionality ; common law rights

54

Porter v Magill [2001] UKHL 67

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Judicial neutrality ; apparent bias

55

Thoburn v Sunderland City Council [2002] EWHC 195 (Admin) (Metric Martyrs Case)

High Court

Separation of powers

Constitutional statutes ; Rule of Law ; EU law  ; parliamentary sovereignty

56

Bellinger v Bellinger [2003] UKHL 21

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Equality ; anti-discrimination ; ECHR ; trans rights

57

Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd [2004] UKHL 22

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Right to private life ; freedom of speech ; ECHR

58

Ghaidan v Godin-Mendoza [2004] UKHL 30

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Right to private life ; sexual orientation ; ECHR ; section 3 HRA 1998

59

R (Anufriejeva) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2004] UKHL 36

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Judicial Review

Procedural fairness ; principle of legality ; duty to give reasons

60

A v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2004] UKHL 56 (Belmarsh Case)

Appellate Committee of the House of Lords

Fundamental rights

Arbitrary detention; due process; counter-terrorism law; ECHR