Category Archives: courts

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

Should judges blog? A little more detail on the new guidance

Posted on August 17, 2012 by

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 and social media use, it states: … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, courts, digital open justice, freedom of expression, human rights, media law, public interest, social media | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

An elephant in courtroom 73? Social media, regulation and the law

Posted on August 10, 2012 by

Lord Justice Leveson’s enormous task is to examine the culture, practices and ethics of the media, with a special emphasis on the “press”. This is because it was serious concerns about the behaviour of UK national newspapers that instigated the … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, comment, contempt of court, courts, data protection, defamation, freedom of expression, human rights, journalism, leveson inquiry, media ethics, media law, media regulation, social media, social networking | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Analysis: Privacy cases re-visited, a year on from Super Injunction Spring – Judith Townend

Posted on August 7, 2012 by

Originally posted on Inforrm's Blog:
A year on from the introduction of the Master of the Rolls’ Practice Guidance, six privacy injunctions have been discharged, but with the claimant’s anonymity maintained in each case. The British media, however, hasn’t…

Posted in courts, media law, newspapers, privacy, reporting restrictions, super injunctions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Full Fact: “Open justice in this century must mean more than merely being able to walk into the courtroom”

Posted on August 2, 2012 by

Full Fact is a non-profit fact-checking organisation based in the UK, which has given oral and written evidence to the Leveson Inquiry. Part of its submission on ‘The internet and the Inquiry’ [PDF] concerns access to judicial information, which Full … Continue reading →

Posted in comment, courts, data, digital open justice, leveson inquiry, media ethics, media law, media law resources | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment