\n \n \n \n \n
\n \n Th
is event is hybrid: taking place in-person AND wil
l be streamed live. \;
This page is for
tickets \;to attend ONLINE. To book
a ticket to attend in-person \;
CLICK HERE. We will not be a
ble to admit anyone in-person with an online ticke
t and vice versa.
For the third Lord
Judge Memorial Lecture in Legal History\, the Mid
dle Temple Historical Society is delighted to host
Mr. Justice Donal O’Donnell\, Chief Justice of th
e Republic of Ireland\, who will deliver a lecture
on the enduring significance of the appeal in 191
6 of Sir Roger Casement.
\n \n Chief Justice
O’Donnell will interrogate how Casement’s appeal
sits at a fascinating crossroads of law\, politics
\, and identity. After being convicted of treason
for seeking German support for the Irish independe
nce movement during the First World War\, Casement
’s legal team mounted an appeal that turned on a s
urprisingly technical issue: whether the medieval
statute under which he was charged the Treason Act
1351 applied to acts committed outside the realm.
The prosecution argued that treason followed the
subject wherever he went\; the defence countered t
hat the statute’s language did not extend beyond E
ngland’s borders.
\n \n The appeal ultimatel
y failed\, but the case became a touchstone for de
bates about statutory interpretation\, the reach o
f sovereign power\, and the uneasy fusion of law a
nd imperial politics. It also gained notoriety bec
ause of the British government’s use of Casement’s
private diaries\, the so-called “Black Diaries” t
o undermine public sympathy\, raising enduring que
stions about evidence\, authenticity\, and politic
al influence on judicial processes.
\n \n Fo
r legal practitioners today\, Casements appeal rem
ains relevant because it encapsulates issues that
still animate modern jurisprudence: how far a stat
e’s criminal law can extend extraterritorially\, h
ow courts should interpret centuries‑old statutes
in contemporary contexts\, and how political press
ures can shape the administration of justice. The
case is a reminder that legal texts do not exist i
n a vacuum\; they operate within social\, moral\,
and geopolitical currents that can bend their mean
ing. For lawyers navigating questions of internati
onal jurisdiction\, human rights\, or the use of s
ensitive personal material in litigation\, Casemen
t’s story offers a vivid historical example of how
legal reasoning\, state power\, and public percep
tion can collide\, which have not diminished with
the passing of time.
\n \n
DESCRIPTION:\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
\n \n \n \n \n \n This event is hybrid: taking
place in-person AND will be streamed live. This p
age is for tickets to attend ONLINE. To book a tic
ket to attend in-person CLICK HERE (https://www.mi
ddletemple.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?id=42568&rese
t=1). We will not be able to admit anyone in-perso
n with an online ticket and vice versa.\n \n \n Fo
r the third Lord Judge Memorial Lecture in Legal H
istory\, the Middle Temple Historical Society is d
elighted to host Mr. Justice Donal O’Donnell\, Chi
ef Justice of the Republic of Ireland\, who will d
eliver a lecture on the enduring significance of t
he appeal in 1916 of Sir Roger Casement.\n \n \n \
n Chief Justice O’Donnell will interrogate how Cas
ement’s appeal sits at a fascinating crossroads of
law\, politics\, and identity. After being convic
ted of treason for seeking German support for the
Irish independence movement during the First World
War\, Casement’s legal team mounted an appeal tha
t turned on a surprisingly technical issue: whethe
r the medieval statute under which he was charged
the Treason Act 1351 applied to acts committed out
side the realm. The prosecution argued that treaso
n followed the subject wherever he went\; the defe
nce countered that the statute’s language did not
extend beyond England’s borders.\n \n \n \n The ap
peal ultimately failed\, but the case became a tou
chstone for debates about statutory interpretation
\, the reach of sovereign power\, and the uneasy f
usion of law and imperial politics. It also gained
notoriety because of the British government’s use
of Casement’s private diaries\, the so-called “Bl
ack Diaries” to undermine public sympathy\, raisin
g enduring questions about evidence\, authenticity
\, and political influence on judicial processes.\
n \n \n \n For legal practitioners today\, Casemen
ts appeal remains relevant because it encapsulates
issues that still animate modern jurisprudence: h
ow far a state’s criminal law can extend extraterr
itorially\, how courts should interpret centuries‑
old statutes in contemporary contexts\, and how po
litical pressures can shape the administration of
justice. The case is a reminder that legal texts d
o not exist in a vacuum\; they operate within soci
al\, moral\, and geopolitical currents that can be
nd their meaning. For lawyers navigating questions
of international jurisdiction\, human rights\, or
the use of sensitive personal material in litigat
ion\, Casement’s story offers a vivid historical e
xample of how legal reasoning\, state power\, and
public perception can collide\, which have not dim
inished with the passing of time.\n \n \n \n
CATEGORIES:Domus Function
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
DTSTAMP;TZID=Europe/London:20261117T174500
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261117T174500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261117T220000
URL:https://www.middletemple.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=42580
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR