Lord Reed announced the ruling by stating that the legislation for the second referendum would be related to “reserved subjects”, and therefore was not within the Holyrood’s purview.
The Court’s decision is a blow for Scottish nationalists who argued that voters should decide the future of the country, whether it be in the United Kingdom or not.
Nicola Sturgeon was the first minister to criticize the decision, but she pledged to continue the push for independence by the Scottish National Party. “Today’s ruling blocks one way for Scotland’s voice to be heard on independence – but in democracy our voice cannot or will not be silenced,” she stated in a statement.
Sturgeon stated that the SNP would use next UK general elections as a “defacto referendum” to show that a majority Scottish people support independence. Later, 10 Downing Street told journalists it did not agree with Sturgeon’s plan.