Category Archives: courts

The legal relevance of being a ‘blog’: a ‘pretty straightforward’ definition?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by

We are comfortable that there is a clear articulation of “blog” and “news”. Blogs are to do with the expression of the point of view of an individual or group of individuals. That is pretty straightforward, although, as with everything … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, courts, media law, media regulation | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Open letter: Justice and Security Bill is ‘a charter for cover ups’

Posted on March 4, 2013 by

My name is among the signatories of this open letter written in protest at the measures proposed in the Justice and Security Bill, which has reached its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons.  For more background … Continue reading →

Posted in academic research, access to justice, courts, digital open justice, freedom of expression, human rights, press freedom | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New paper: Leveson online – A publicly reported inquiry

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

My paper on public access to the Leveson Inquiry has been published in the new issue of Ethical Space, The International Journal of Communication Ethics. Abstract: The Leveson Inquiry has broken new ground for court and political reporting: for the first … Continue reading →

Posted in academic research, access to justice, blogging, courts, data, digital open justice, freedom of expression, human rights, journalism, leveson inquiry, media ethics, press freedom | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Full” courts lists continued: what are the data protection and contempt issues? And who should be able to access them?

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

A quick update to my recent post on digital publication of Magistrates’ court lists. I reported how blogger Richard Taylor obtained a “full” court list from his local Magistrates’ Court following a Freedom of Information request. However, he did not … Continue reading →

Posted in access to justice, blogging, courts, data, digital open justice, public interest, reporting restrictions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Legislation: open the data and enable participation

Posted on February 1, 2013 by

Last Friday I attended an excellent and inspiring presentation by John Sheridan, head of legislation services at the National Archives, at the Open Data Institute.  ODI’s Kathryn Corrick has helpfully uploaded both the audio and his presentation. The Indigo Trust … Continue reading →

Posted in academic research, access to justice, courts, data, digital open justice, education, Public Legal Education | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Digitally published Magistrates’ Court Lists: how should it be done?

Posted on January 23, 2013 by

There is little disagreement with the idea that there should be increased public access to legal proceedings, but how it should be done creates some debate.  As I’ve written before, online publication of court records has developed in a piecemeal … Continue reading →

Posted in access to justice, blogging, courts, criminal law, data, digital open justice, freedom of information | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Leveson and access to justice

Posted on November 30, 2012 by

Will Leveson’s ‘Arbitration Service’ improve access to justice in civil legal disputes? In Volume IV of his report, Lord Justice Leveson has recommended a new arbitration service for civil legal claims as part of a new system of independent self-regulation … Continue reading →

Posted in access to justice, courts, defamation, journalism, leveson inquiry, media law, media regulation, privacy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Reporting privacy injunctions: a response from Gideon Benaim

Posted on September 13, 2012 by

I recently asked a couple of questions about reporting anonymised privacy injunctions, following a piece by Gideon Benaim in the Guardian. Benaim, a partner at Michael Simkins LLP, has responded with a full blog post response, which is published on Inforrm … Continue reading →

Posted in courts, data, digital open justice, media law, newspapers, privacy, public interest, reporting restrictions | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Judicial Office responds to FoI request on blogging guidance for judges

Posted on August 30, 2012 by

Earlier this month, I reported that the Senior Presiding Judge and the Senior President of Tribunals has issued new guidance [PDF] to all courts and tribunal judicial office holders in England and Wales. While it does not entirely prohibit blogging … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, courts, digital open justice, media law, social media, social networking | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sketches from Leveson

Posted on August 24, 2012 by

Drawing in the courtroom is prohibited under s41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925, so broadcasters and newspapers use pastel sketches by talented and specialist artists who draw from memory outside the courtroom. This restriction does not apply to hearings in the Supreme … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, courts, digital open justice, leveson inquiry, media ethics, reporting restrictions | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment