University of Limerick graduate urges reform after Supreme Court win
TOMÁS Heneghan, the University of Limerick (UL) graduate who achieved a landmark Supreme Court victory in March this year, is now calling on Limerick TDs and senators to expedite Seanad reform ahead of the upcoming general election.
Following his successful appeal against the existing rules for Seanad elections, Mr Heneghan is now urging both government and opposition representatives to take legislative action and expand voting eligibility for Seanad elections to all citizens across the island of Ireland.
Speaking at the Four Courts in Dublin last Wednesday, Mr Heneghan expressed his disappointment over the long-standing neglect of the Seanad franchise expansion issue, which has persisted for 44 years and through 18 Irish governments.
He emphasised that the government must address this issue promptly to uphold the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
Mr Heneghan's legal battle centred around the 1937 legislation that restricted voting for six senators exclusively to graduates of Trinity College Dublin and the NUI universities.
He, along with his legal team, called for the formal striking down of these provisions no later than the end of July next year.
The Attorney General, however, proposed a significantly delayed timeline, pushing it to July 2027, with no guarantee that new legislation would be in place by then.
“This isn't a complex issue that requires years of work. There is a bill already at the second stage of the legislative process that would allow graduates like me to vote in a new Institutions of Higher Education Seanad panel, in line with the Supreme Court's decision and the electorate's decision in 1979,” Mr Heneghan asserted.
He passionately called on the government to prioritise democracy and take action to implement the much-needed reform.
The Supreme Court's 6-1 majority ruling in March confirmed that the Oireachtas was mandated to change the voting system for the six university seats in the Seanad, following a 1979 referendum to amend the Constitution.
The court suspended the formal declaration striking down certain parts of the 1937 law that conflicted with the Constitution until July 31, 2025.
Mr Heneghan's legal challenge, initiated in December 2019, sought to establish his right to vote in Seanad elections either as a UL graduate in the university panels, or as an ordinary citizen in the vocational panels.
On his motivation to bring the case, he explained: “Growing up, only two things really excited me about turning eighteen: Registering to vote and donating blood.”
The proposed legislation for expanding the franchise for the Seanad “university seats” is likely to include Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS).