Posted by Updated / Wednesday, 4 Mar 2026 14:13
Legal Affairs Correspondent
The High Court has ordered the immediate arrest and committal to prison of teacher Enoch Burke’s mother, Martina, and sister, Ammi, for contempt of court.
Mr Justice Brian Cregan ordered that the two women should be jailed for two weeks each because of their behaviour at a hearing last month.
He said they had repeatedly interrupted proceedings by shouting and roaring, and had to be removed from the court by gardaí.
Judge Cregan said it was “long past time for the court to call a halt to this family circus”.
He said it had become clear to him that members of the Burke family were impervious to reason and were motivated by a faith driven ideology, refusing to accept the rule of law. But he said the rule of law applied to them and to every other citizen whether they accepted it or not.
Mr Justice Cregan said the Burkes had been treated with great forbearance by the courts but the situation where ten gardaí had to be present in court during Burke related cases was completely abnormal and could not continue.
He said Ammi Burke was unapologetic and defiant about her behaviour. He said she had interrupted court proceedings so an application by Wilson’s Hospital School could not be properly heard and dealt with, and he said that was the very essence of interference with the administration of justice.
The judge said both women were in contempt of court.
He said it was clear they believed they were above the law and that they should be exempt from the rule of law because they were Christian evangelicals.
The judge said there was no such exemption. And he said “we live in a democracy governed by the rule of law – not a theocracy, governed by the Burke family”.
The judge continued that Ammi Burke was a solicitor and an officer of the court but had completely lost sight of her professional duties to the court.
He said he had never encountered a solicitor who behaved this way in court. It was disgraceful and indefensible, he said.
Mr Justice Cregan said he would send papers to the disciplinary committee of the Law Society to allow that committee to consider if it should open an inquiry into Ammi Burke.
The judge said he intended to make an order that Martina, Ammi and their brother Isaac Burke would have to attend future hearings remotely and would not be allowed to be present in court.
He gave them three weeks to lodge submissions if they want to object to his intended order.
Martina and Ammi Burke were called twice by the registrar before Isaac Burke told the judge they were at their place of employment.
The judge said they were told last week that these proceedings were happening today and he made an order for their attachment by members of gardaí and their immediate committal to prison for two weeks.
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