‘The Lord Chief Justice has today laid his annual report before Parliament. His report looks back at the past 12 months and explains how the judiciary have administered justice across all jurisdictions by focusing on key priorities.’
Judiciary of England and Wales, 15th December 2014
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
‘The first change relates to cases when the defendant elected trial and solicitors had been restricted to the fixed fee, even though the Crown did not proceed at all, and the defendant is acquitted on the order of a judge. In these cases, provided the case goes beyond the plea and case management hearing, a cracked trial fee will be paid.’
Full story
Law Society’s Gazette, 1st December 2014
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Speech by The Right Hon. The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales at the Cardiff Business Club on 3 November 2014.’
Judiciary of England and Wales, 27th November 2014
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
‘The lack of any effective check or court oversight of the home secretary’s new powers to impose temporary exclusion orders for up to two years on British citizens returning from Iraq or Syria has been strongly criticised by the official counter-terror law watchdog.’
The Guardian, 26th November 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The Supreme Court yesterday emphasised the importance of compliance with court orders as it dismissed an appeal by a Saudi prince who failed to personally sign a witness statement in breach of an unless order.’
Litigation Futures, 27th November 2014
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Now that the furore of the Scottish independence referendum has passed, the attention of politicians and media has once again turned to the dangers of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). In his speech to the Conservative Party Conference in late September, Prime Minister David Cameron stated that the ECtHR needed “sorting out”. Three examples of its judgments were used to support this point: the prisoner voting litigation; the limits on deporting suspected terrorists, including Abu Qatada; and the extension of the HRA to the “battle-fields of Helmand”, an issue which the ECtHR has not directly adjudicated upon although it has given judgments concerning events in Iraq. Shortly after, the Conservative Party released its proposals for changing Britain’s human rights laws. Central to this is altering the relationship between the UK and the ECtHR so that its judgments are no longer binding over the UK Supreme Court and that it is no longer able to order a change in UK law. As any law student will know, this would be a waste of time as neither is currently possible in our dualist legal system. The judgments of the ECtHR are only binding in international law. To support these proposals, five examples of ECtHR judgments are given: prisoner voting; artificial insemination rights for some prisoners; limits on the deportation of foreign nationals who have committed crimes; and limits on the deportation of foreign nationals generally. The fifth example is the recent judgment on whole life tariffs which was misleadingly and erroneously portrayed as a decision that murderers cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment. It is clear that the Conservative Party is not expecting to receive votes from prisoners (who have no vote anyway), foreign nationals or members of the armed forces who also enjoy the protection of human rights law on the “battle-fields of Helmand”.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 24th November 2014
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘In this article, I argue that there is an urgent need for a more rational approach to the debate about prisoners’ rights to vote – which has become an emotive issue in the United Kingdom. This is particularly so in light of the recent response from the United Kingdom government to ECtHR rulings, demonstrating an unparalleled defiance towards Strasbourg rulings. Due to this, the implications of the debate over prisoners’ voting rights extend beyond individuals, bringing into sharp focus a matter of broader significance to us all, namely the United Kingdom’s approach to democracy and human rights and its relationship with the European Court and the EU itself.’
Cloisters, 13th November 2014
Source: www.cloisters.com
‘Our “antiquated” courts faced “severe crisis” without significant investment, the lord chief justice said yesterday. Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd offered journalists a judicial perspective on the financial pressures being imposed upon the courts at his annual press conference.’
LegalVoice, 13th November 2014
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
‘The Manchester County Court’s designated District Judges for Cancer Asbestos and Terminal Illness (“CAT”) cases apply from the outset the Mesothelioma Claims Practice Direction to all asbestos-related claims, irrespective of whether they involve mesothelioma: and this appeal judgment supports this practice.’
Zenith PI Blog, 5th November 2014
Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com
‘Sarah Jennings & Esther Lieu, 3PB, with District Judge Julie Exton look at the Family Drug and Alcohol Court.’
Family Law Week, 31st October 2014
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
‘Ministers are considering introducing “pop up” courts for people who challenge speeding fines to be held in their own communities.’
Daily Telegraph, 25th October 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘A recently retired High Court judge has said he thinks government cuts to the legal system have gone too far.’
BBC News, 22nd October 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Lord Justice Jackson has led the Court of Appeal in issuing a stark warning to advocates over submitting lengthy skeleton arguments, with his fellow judges making it clear that there will be no special treatment of Commercial Court litigation.’
Litigation Futures, 16th October 2014
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Proposals by academics to allow new defences against trade mark infringement to be created in the future should be resisted, a trade mark law specialist has warned.’
OUT-LAW.com, 6th October 2014
Source: www.out-law.com
‘Two days ago I reported that the Military Court Service (MCS) had been withholding from journalists vital information about trials. Now, it would appear, there has been a climbdown or, to quote the official version of events, an announcement that a review of the system has resulted in a change of mind.’
The Guardian, 17th September2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘From 1 October 2014 the Chancery Division in London will commence using the new CE-File electronic court file and some data stored on the old IT system will be transferred to CE-File.’
Judiciary of England and Wales, 11th September 2014
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
‘Lawyers who mislead the court will end up with “exemplary and deterrent” punishments, the Lord Chief Justice has warned.’
Legalfutures, 12th September 2014
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Sun has got it badly wrong on human rights. Again. On 24 August 2014 Craig Woodhouse reported that “Euro judges go against UK in 3 out of 5 cases” (£). This is false and seriously misleading.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 27th August 2014
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
“Lord Neuberger, the president of the Supreme Court, indicates there may be a case for a rethink on privacy and communications laws thanks to the “enormous challenges” posed by the internet.’
Daily Telegraph, 26th August 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The European court of human rights (ECHR) has ruled that prisoners who have not been allowed to vote should not be paid compensation.’
The Guardian, 12th August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
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