The Orange Order has launched a High Court challenge to the Government's ban on the Drumcree parade, with proceedings adjourned until Monday, 12 October.
Legal representatives attended Belfast High Court on Saturday, 10 October, seeking an emergency judicial review of Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant's decision to halt the procession along the Garvaghy Road in Portadown.
Challenge adjourned until Monday
According to UTV, duty judge Denise McBride recognised the urgency of the case but said it was not an emergency and that significant material still needed to be obtained.
The adjournment does not determine whether the Government's decision was lawful. The challenge remains pending, and no ruling overturning the ban has been reported in the sources checked.
A separate case concerns Garvaghy Road residents' challenge to the Parades Commission's decision allowing the procession. UTV reported that a Court of Appeal judgment in those proceedings was also expected on Monday.
Why the Government intervened
Bryant announced his decision on Friday, 9 October, after almost two weeks of stand-off and unsuccessful negotiations.
The Northern Ireland Office said he reviewed the determination following a request under section 9 of the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 and made an order under section 11. The decision concerned the Portadown District procession originally notified for 27 September.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said all lawful and proportionate options for facilitating the procession had been exhausted. He warned that the remaining options would require a substantial public-order intervention carrying an unacceptable risk of serious injury and disorder spreading elsewhere in Northern Ireland.
Boutcher welcomed the decision and called for space to find a long-term solution. Bryant called for protests, rallies and demonstrations to stand down.
Political disagreement continues
The Orange Order criticised the intervention and sought urgent meetings with Bryant and Boutcher. Its objections remain the organisation's position rather than findings by the court.
Sinn Féin and the SDLP welcomed the ban, while DUP leader Gavin Robinson criticised it and questioned its implications for confidence in the rule of law.