A Roman Catholic mother convicted for silently praying outside a hospital abortion zone in Northern Ireland has formally challenged the impartiality of the judge overseeing her appeal. 
 
Claire Brennan was found guilty under Northern Ireland’s new buffer zone law for praying the Lord’s Prayer while holding a sign reading “Pray to End Abortion” outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. 
 
Her case returned to Ballymena Court on 16th September, where she requested that Judge Ciaran Moynagh recuse himself from the case. 
 
The request follows a formal complaint Brennan submitted to the Lady Chief Justice’s Office under the Judicial Complaints System, citing concerns that Judge Moynagh’s past public activism on abortion law reform including receiving a Humanist of the Year award in 2018, creates a reasonable perception of bias. 
 
In court, Judge Moynagh agreed to give Brennan two weeks to file a formal application for recusal.  

Legal observers note that granting such a request would be highly unusual. 
 
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Brennan, said: “A judge must not only be impartial, but also be seen to be impartial. Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.” 
 
Brennan says she is pursuing the case “not just for myself, but for the unborn and for the future of religious freedom in Northern Ireland”. 
 
A decision on the recusal application is expected later this month.