Diplock court
noun /ˈdɪplɒk kɔːt/
/ˈdɪplɑːk kɔːrt/
- a special court of law in Northern Ireland for people accused of terrorist offences. Diplock courts operated from 1973 under the British judge Lord Diplock (1907-85) when the normal system of trial by jury had become difficult because jury members were being threatened and even murdered. In Diplock courts, each case was heard by a single judge. The lack of a jury was criticized as unfair, although the accused person had certain extra rights in these courts. Diplock courts ended in 2007.