‘The Home Office has been accused of interfering with the independence of the judiciary after it emerged that judges were asked to provide written explanations for a rise in the number of detainees released from immigration centres during the Covid-19 pandemic.’
The Guardian, 6th May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘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.’
Transparency Project, 29th April 2020
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘The prospect of jury trials restarting has come closer with news that the judiciary has set up a working party to consider how they can be brought back as soon as it is safe to do so. The news comes shortly after lord chancellor Robert Buckland said he wanted jury trials back up and running as quickly as possible.’
Law Society's Gazette, 24th April 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘HM Courts & Tribunals Service says decisions on personal protective equipment are in line with official guidance following enquiries by the Gazette about what measures are being taken to protect staff at courts being kept open during the pandemic.’
Law Society's Gazette, 21st April 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘All judges and leadership judges need to recognise that doing as much as possible remotely “does not mean, and cannot mean, trying to do everything remotely”, there senior members of the judiciary have warned.’
Local Government Lawyer, 15th April 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘As one of the measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, courts in major parts of the world are delaying trials and temporarily closing doors. While the move is reasonable in the face of the pandemic, the process could leave some cases in limbo for weeks, if not months. In the criminal context, this could be a huge barrier to access to justice for victims and in securing the rights of the accused. The Chief Justices of various judicial systems have issued guidance to trial courts seeking emergency orders to adjust or suspend court operations in light of the pandemic. In addition to these measures, new AI-based systems may prove helpful during these times and should, where available, be used to secure access to justice.’
Oxford Human Rights Hub, 9th April 2020
Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk
‘Judges could be handed wider powers to take the initiative over contempt of court in draft rules proposed by the Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC).’
Litigation Futures, 11th March 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘The president of the Supreme Court has declined to rule out resigning if Boris Johnson attempts to politicise the judiciary.’
The Independent, 4th March 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘As judicial power around the world increased immensely throughout the 20th and early 21st century—to the point where judges can invalidate legitimately passed constitutional amendments, strike down signature pieces of legislation, vote to dissolve successful political parties, and exercise a host of other significant powers—the idea of holding judges to account has become more relevant than ever. And while the general rule regarding holding public power is that the more you have of it, the more you should be held to account for it, worldwide we’ve seen that this mantra doesn’t apply to the judiciary in a straightforward manner, given its possible impact on judicial independence. However, the way this balance of power developed is also deeply ironic. For a branch that makes such a large claim of holding the powerful to account, judiciaries remain firmly (and hypocritically) against holding themselves to account.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 25th February 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Now is a dangerous time to roll back judicial power, the vice president of the European Court of Human Rights has said in a public rebuff to Lord Sumption’s high profile criticism of ‘law’s expanding empire’.’
Law Society's Gazette, 22nd February 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The family courts are not a safe place for victims of domestic violence because some judges there hold “outdated views” on sexual violence and issues of consent, according to a letter signed by 130 lawyers and professionals.’
The Guardian, 19th February 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Progress to improve diversity in the judiciary is too slow and there has been stagnation in the appointment of BAME judges, according to a damning report by an influential law reform group whose head warns that senior roles are still “dominated by white men”.’
The Guardian, 29th January 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Employment Judge Snelson has handed down judgment in Kumrai v Ministry of Justice and others, an unusual case involving serious allegations of race discrimination by members of the senior judiciary in which the Claimant and all three Respondent witnesses were serving Tribunal Judges. The Claimant, a Judge of the First-Tier Tribunal, sued both the Regional Judge and President of the relevant chamber together with the Ministry of Justice, for direct race discrimination, harassment and victimisation.’
Ely Place Chambers, 14th January 2020
Source: elyplace.com
‘The government should not select judges on the basis of their political views as they do in the US, the outgoing president of the supreme court, Lady Hale, has warned.’
The Guardian, 18th December 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Four judges with “portfolio” careers in full-time and part-time roles and without formal contracts of employment have been backed by the Supreme Court in their campaign for equal pensions treatment. Giving judgment today in Miller and others v Ministry of Justice, Lord Carnwath ruled that ‘the common sense of the matter’ as well as case law holds that part-timers should not suffer less favourable treatment.’
Law Society's Gazette, 16th December 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Newborns could be diverted from care proceedings if more time is given to pre-birth assessments where there are safeguarding concerns, according to a review published today.’
Law Society's Gazette, 11th December 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
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