Morality, rights and the black letter law: judicial responsibilities in context

Abstract

This article explores various aspects of morality, rights and the law, in relation to the Hillsborough Football Stadium Disaster of 15 April 1989, including the legal repercussions of this disaster – the public inquiry; the Taylor Report; compensation claims against the police; inquest proceedings; judicial review challenge; private prosecution; ECHR challenge; and the House of Lords decisions on the rules for compensation for nervous shock. Moreover it focuses on other cases lying at the intersection of law and morality, such as the death of a patient who suffered catastrophic and irreversible brain damage and the withdrawal of medical treatment with judicial approval. Another case considered in this article is that of the conjoined twins and the tragic dilemma of ‘which one to die?’