The Court of Appeal has considered the right of an Irish citizen to have their non-national spouse reside with them in Ireland in the case of Gorry v Minister for Justice and Equality [2017]. The Court concluded that an Irish citizen does not have an absolute right to have their spouse reside with them, and acknowledged “the right to control aliens, their entry into the State, their departure, and their activities within the State, is part of the inherent power of the State as a sovereign State.” However the Court emphasised the duty of the Minister, on behalf of the State, to thoroughly consider the rights of the couple as a family within the meaning of the Irish Constitution and the rights of the individual as a citizen and to balance such rights against the interests of the State to determine whether an individual may reside in Ireland with their Irish spouse.