Last week, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) handed down its decision ( [2015] ZASCA 58) in the appeal by the City of Cape Town against a Western Cape High Court decision which had dramatically undermined the principle of open justice. Continue reading
The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Tag: Open Justice (Page 2 of 4)
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, has issued a new “Practice Direction: Committal for Contempt of Court – Open Court” [pdf] which applies to all courts in England and Wales. it introduces strict rules designed to ensure open justice, providing that all committal hearings “shall be listed and heard in public” [5]. Continue reading
In the case of A healthcare NHS Trust v P & Q ([2015] EWCOP 15) the Court of Protection has clarified the position on revealing the identity of an incapacitated adult where reporting restrictions apply. Continue reading
Judge Thokozile Masipa has, today, sentenced Oscar Pistorius to 5 years’ imprisonment in respect of his conviction for culpable homicide. Judge Masipa’s judgment in respect of the conviction, handed down last month, led to a sea of divided opinion. Continue reading
On Sunday night, Australia’s Channel 7 broadcast a video showing Oscar Pistorius apparently re-enacting various moments from the night he killed Reeva Steenkamp. The footage was reportedly filmed in October 2013 by a US company, The Evidence Room, and reports say that it was commissioned by the defence team to assist with trial preparation in order to reconstruct Oscar Pistorius’ version of events. Continue reading
As the dust settles after Thursday’s Court of Appeal decision on whether a terrorism trial can be held in secret, there continue to be more questions than answers about what we know and what we will know. Continue reading
The Court of Appeal has published its decision in Guardian News Media v AB and CD. It is not a judgment, the Court says. Judgments – plural – will be given “in due course.” Still, the 24 paragraph decision contains the order and explanation of the order, and gives an indication of some of the reasons that will follow. Continue reading
Whether cameras should be allowed into our courtrooms has been a much debated issue for over 20 years. In England and Wales the Supreme Court has been been filmed since its creation in 2009, whilst the Court of Appeal finally let the television cameras in on the 31st October 2013. So why should England and Wales take notice of the media’s handling of the Oscar Pistorius trial? Have we not now accepted cameras in our courts? Continue reading
The strong presumption in favour of public access to documents referred to in Court proceedings was emphasised by the High Court in the case of NAB v Serco ([2014] EWHC 1225 (QB)). Bean J dismissed an application by Serco Limited to restrict access by the Guardian to an internal report into sexual assaults at Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre which had been mentioned in court proceedings. Continue reading
In the past weeks, hundreds of thousands of people around the world have been able to hear and see on television, radio and the Internet the evidence being led in the criminal trial of Oscar Pistorius. Pistorius stands accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s morning last year. Continue reading
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