“Proceedings in the Supreme Court are already televised, and broadcasting of other courts is imminent. Courts dealing with families have become more open after journalistic campaigns. Defendants and witnesses in some proceedings and courts martial are identified only by initials, and sexual assault witnesses and children are anonymous, while those charged are named upon arrest. Some witnesses testify behind screens, and the face of a defendant in a criminal case was covered for most of the trial. Magistrates complain that minor offences are increasingly dealt with by administrative cautions rather than proceedings in open court. Meanwhile, in the United States secret rulings by secret courts have extended electronic surveillance. Was Bentham right that ‘Where there is no publicity there is no justice’?”
Date: 25th November 2013, 6.00-7.30pm
Location: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR
Charge: See website for details
More information can be found here.
