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Cases and their status as good law. In a Common Law jurisdiction, judges have the ability to change or clarify the law and to set precedents which bind the court in later cases. But as the law is continually developing, and as cases decided by one court can be affected by later decisions of a… Continue reading about Judicial consideration: a reporter’s guide to good law

If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly. If a right is worth having, it’s worth protecting that right in wartime, peacetime and any time in between.   In a civilised and democratic society, such as we all claim to want to protect, the presumption of individual liberty does not simply evaporate as… Continue reading about Terror makes tyrants of us all: Boris and the Reverse Burden proposal

Welcome to the ICLR Criminal Law Updater for July 2014. Here’s our round up of the reportable and unreportable criminal cases decided in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) and the UK Supreme Court over the last four weeks. Where a transcript is available on BAILII, a linked reference has been provided. Reportable Cases R… Continue reading about ICLR Criminal Law Updater (July 2014)

Welcome to the ICLR Criminal Law Updater for June 2014. Here’s our round up of the reportable and unreportable criminal cases decided in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) and the UK Supreme Court over the last four weeks. Where a transcript is available on BAILII, a linked reference has been provided. Reportable Cases R… Continue reading about ICLR Criminal Law Updater (June 2014)

“The law reports are replete with examples of important judicial law-making in diverse areas affecting many aspects of our national life.” So said the Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson in a recent speech. But for how much longer can this continue? King Henry II (1133 – 1189): his legal reforms laid the basis for… Continue reading about The end of the road for the Common Law?

Privatised civil justice – how it might look Artist’s impressions A shadowy and mysterious legal think tank known as the Seven Stars Symposium has recently announced proposals for the privatisation of the litigation services currently provided by the High Court of England and Wales and the County Courts. In a press release issued on 1… Continue reading about Privatised civil justice – how it might look

The following is a press release from the Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights, reproduced in full to save readers the trouble of downloading a PDF from the Hudoc site. Rule 47 of the Rules of Court, which introduces stricter conditions for applying to the Court, came into force on 1 January 2014.… Continue reading about Stricter conditions for applying to the European Court of Human Rights

“The law belongs to the people. Access to the legal system is a basic right and a public good.” So declared the Chief Justice of Canada, the Rt Hon Beverley McLachlin PC, in response to fellow Canadian, Szilvia Booker, a barrister practising in England, who had asked the Chief Justice whether the principle of open… Continue reading about Open justice and the Rule of Law

Two recent official statements highlight the need for care to be taken by members of the public who come into contact with the justice system in their use of the internet and social media. And a recent announcement from the CPS reminds users of Twitter of the risk of prosecution for abusive or threatening tweets.… Continue reading about The internet, social media and contempt of court: some recent developments