The Court of Appeal have affirmed Mrs Justice Roberts’ original decision refusing disclosure of court documents to investigative journalist Melanie Newman. Newman’s appeal was dismissed. Continue reading
The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Category: Open Justice (Page 3 of 12)
On 1 August 2020 we had the parliamentary revelation that a sitting MP had been arrested by police on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and controlling and coercive behaviour. All offences were alleged to have taken between July 2019 and January 2020 against the MP’s former staffer. Continue reading
The High Court handed down judgment on Friday in Newman v Southampton City Council & Ors [2020] EWHC 2103 (Fam), the first recorded judgment concerning journalistic access to the court file in public law family proceedings. The case is likely to be of interest to media lawyers generally, and throws up potential complications surrounding the scope and extent of the privacy rights of children vis-à-vis their parents. Continue reading
The chief executive of HMCTS, Susan Acland-Hood, has responded to an open letter from NGOs and academics raising concerns about the provision of open justice measures during the COVID-19 emergency period. Continue reading
In recent weeks, the House of Commons select committee on justice has been assured by members of the government, judiciary and court service that open justice continues, despite changes to the nature of physical hearings, and increased use of technology for many types of hearings. Continue reading
We wrote about this case last week. We said “watch this space” Now, we bring you part two… The judge has changed his mind after the intervention of two journalists : the Transparency Project’s Louise Tickle and Press Association journalist Brian Farmer. Continue reading
The Transparency Project noticed two cases in which judgments were published on 11 May 2020 the very day that the President’s Transparency Review call for evidence closed – each deals with the question of whether a local authority who had brought care proceedings should be named, and each considers the 2018 guidance on anonymisation (which is one of the subjects of the President’s Transparency Review). Continue reading
Who is responsible for publishing the official approved version of judgments of the courts? Where should we look to find the latest, in some cases corrected, version of a court judgment? These are not new questions, but the sudden swerve to virtual justice has thrown them into new focus. Continue reading
When the Prime Minister announced the lockdown on 23 March 2020, the UK effectively aligned its response to the COVID-19 pandemic to that of other European countries. For litigation practitioners, this raised a number of queries relating not only to the effect this would have on their practice as a whole, but also – more pragmatically – to the effect this would have on upcoming hearings and the conduct thereof. Continue reading
There will be an increasing use of ‘remote hearings’ in the courts in England and Wales in coming weeks and months, under existing law, and if extended provisions in the emergency Coronavirus Bill are passed. But there are important practical questions to consider if we wish to safeguard open justice. Continue reading
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