In the context of appellate proceedings, inordinate and unexplained delay of over 18 months with no steps taken to prosecute an appeal will warrant dismissal for want of prosecution where there is at least a real risk of prejudice to prospective defendants. The Court prefers formal dismissal over deemed abandonment to achieve finality.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 4 later cases that cite this judgment.
1 of the 4 citing cases carry a classified treatment. How each court treated it is available to signed-in members.