A ruling by the High Court in Belfast may be delivered today in the case of the three Ulster Unionist MPs who are challenging their suspension from the party.
Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, the Rev Martin Smyth and Mr David Burnside are seeking an injunction to overturn the decision of a party disciplinary committee to suspend them.
Their membership of the party was put on hold last week after they resigned the party whip at Westminster in protest at the policies of the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble.
A writ was issued at the High Court yesterday against all the officers of the party, including Sir Reg Empey, Lord Maginnis, Mr Dermot Nesbitt and Mr Jim Rodgers, but not Mr Trimble who is not an officer.
Solicitor Mr John McBirney, acting for the three MPs, said their application had three main planks.
r The suspension of the men went beyond the powers of the party's disciplinary committee;
r The composition of the disciplinary committee was invalid and illegitimate and
r The MPs say there was no substance to the charges against them.
The three MPs want the court to rule that their suspension from the party before a disciplinary hearing took place on July 17th was illegal.
The court action is seeking an injunction restraining the officers from interfering with the MPs in the exercise of their rights and duties as party members and from allowing a disciplinary hearing to go ahead.
A lawyer acting for the three MPs compared their suspension from the party to a "dark doing in the backroom of a UDA pub rather than what one expected from a modern-day political party" during a brief opening to the case yesterday.
A barrister appearing for the Ulster Unionist Party said the remarks were uncalled for.
The hearing was then adjourned until this afternoon, by which time the party is expected to have lodged a replying affidavit.