A judge has dismissed himself from the appeal case of Claire Brennan, the first person convicted under the region’s abortion clinic censorship zone law.
This move comes after concerns were raised about his past activism on abortion and LGBTQI issues.
County Court Judge Ciaran Moynagh, who heard Mrs Brennan’s appeal on 2nd September, announced his recusal on 11th November 2025.
Acknowledging Mrs Brennan’s concerns over “apparent bias,” he told the court:
“[Mrs Brennan] is correct that I have carried out litigation on the issues of abortion.”
Judge Moynagh’s activist background includes receiving the Humanist of the Year award in 2018 for campaigning on abortion and humanist marriage rights.
He represented a mother denied an abortion in Northern Ireland and publicly criticised the criminalisation of abortion pills.
Although he argued he did not believe he had any actual or apparent bias, he concluded:
“In recognition of the importance of maintaining public confidence in the impartial administration of justice and to ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done, I have decided out of an abundance of caution to recuse myself from further involvement in this matter.”
Mrs Brennan, a Roman Catholic mother of four, was arrested in October 2023 for peacefully praying the Lord’s Prayer outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine while holding a sign reading “Pray to End Abortion.”
Her protesting took place within a designated “Safe Access Zone” under the Abortion Services Act 2023. This criminalises any behaviour deemed to “influence” individuals within 150 metres of an abortion clinic.
“All I wanted was a fair trial. As soon as I discovered his past activism on abortion, I knew that this had to be exposed and that it was simply not right that he should be presiding over my case.”
She went on to say, “I am challenging this law not just for myself, but for the protection of the unborn and for the future of religious freedom in Northern Ireland.”
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, added:
“Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done. The so-called ‘censorship zones’ represent a chilling attack on freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to peaceful protest. They criminalise compassion and silence dissent.”
The case will now be re-listed for 27th November, when proceedings will continue under a different judge.