‘The BBC director general, Tony Hall, and South Yorkshire police are facing a parliamentary inquiry over the leaking of highly sensitive information about the investigation of Sir Cliff Richard as an independent inquiry into the affair was announced.’
The Guardian, 19th August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘In a word – no. In a press conference this morning, Julian Assange told reporters a WikiLeaks spokesman could confirm that “I am leaving the embassy soon” and the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister, according to the Guardian “referred to recent changes to the extradition laws in the UK which he believed would mean Mr Assange would not be facing extradition if the case started today.” Notice he did not claim these changes make any actual difference now; merely that they would have made a difference had the case started today. It started (and ended) some time ago, so they make no difference at all.’
Head of Legal, 18th August 2014
Source: www.headoflegal.com
‘The taxpayer has been left to foot a £220m bill after a tribunal ruled that a government contract awarded to a US defence firm to deliver the e-borders programme was unlawfully terminated.’
The Guardian, 19th August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Two men have been jailed for life over a plot to murder an accountant.’
BBC News, 18th August 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) is to consider how part 36 can be reformed – to simplify it, allow offers by counterclaiming defendants and discourage “cynical” claimant offers.’
Litigation Futures, 19th August 2014
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Cooke and another v MGN Ltd and another: [2014] EWHC 2831 (QB); [2014] WLR (D) 379
‘By not defining the term “serious harm” in section 1(1) of the Defamation Act 2013, Parliament had left it to the courts to decide whether the serious harm test had been satisfied on the individual facts of contested claims. In cases where the statements complained of were so obviously likely to cause serious harm to a person’s reputation, that likelihood could be inferred from the words used without the need for further evidence.’
WLR Daily, 13th August 2014
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
High Court (Queen’s Bench Division)
The Ritz Hotel Casino Ltd v Al Daher [2014] EWHC 2847 (QB) (15 August 2014)
Source: www.bailii.org
‘The Bar Standards Board and ILEX Professional Standards have issued a call for research organisations to help carry out an independent review of advocacy in the youth court.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 18th August 2014
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The communications watchdog Ofcom is to investigate the Monty Python reunion shows after fans complained about a lack of swearing.
Dozens of viewers objected to “cuts” and “censorship” after some bad language was cut out of the programme, broadcast before the watershed on Gold on July 20. However others complained that the show was too rude after the censors missed some of the more controversial jokes.’
Daily Telegraph, 18th August 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Hundreds of police officers have been investigated for breaching social media guidelines, research has revealed.
Freedom of Information requests by the Press Association found officers made racist comments online and asked crime victims to become Facebook friends.’
BBC News, 19th August 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has admitted to the BBC that prisons in England and Wales face problems with violence, suicides and staff shortages.’
BBC News, 19th August 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘To celebrate the approach to the 50th Anniversary of the Race Relations Act the judiciary are hosting a networking event to promote greater diversity in the judiciary.’
Date: Wednesday 19 November 2014, 5pm-8pm
The School of Law, Leeds
More information can be found here.
‘The names of couples’ mothers are to be added to marriage registers for the first time as the government addresses “another inequality in marriage” by introducing the first reforms to the system in more than 150 years, David Cameron has announced.’
The Guardian, 18th August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Sky News is to be investigated by the media regulator for broadcasting images of one of its presenters handling a passenger’s belongings at the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site.’
The Guardian, 18th August 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Civil Justice Council issues new guidance on instructing experts in civil claims.’
Civil Justice Council, 13th August 2014
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
‘Three City firms – Clyde & Co, Stephenson Harwood and Addleshaw Goddard – face a combined disclosure exercise which could last for months and cost £2.5m after a High Court ruling on legal professional privilege.’
Litigation Futures, 18th August 2014
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘This week, former leaders of the Khmer Rouge face life imprisonment for crimes against humanity committed in Cambodia. In other news, the on-going conflict in Gaza sparks controversy at home, while the Lords inquiry into social media offences reaches an unexpected conclusion.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th August 2014
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘As part of its inquiry into the office of Lord Chancellor, the Constitution Committee asks whether “new” (i.e. post-2003) Lord Chancellors have actually defended judicial independence in line with their customary and now statutory duty to do so. I was asked for examples earlier this summer when appearing before the Committee (with Andrew Le Sueur and Patrick O’Brien). I tried to identify some, but rather garbled my answer. Earlier in the year I also sketched some thoughts about Lord Chancellors in Public Law, but struggled to find clear-cut examples. One reason is that collective cabinet responsibility and the confidentiality of exchanges between Lord Chancellors and judges mean that outsiders will seldom have a full picture of what has occurred behind closed doors. This is unfortunate since my impression is that many lawyers assume—mistakenly, I think—that new Lord Chancellors are neither willing nor able to defend judicial independence. This post is hopefully third time lucky in correcting this assumption. By drawing on press reports, public statements and interviews that Robert Hazell, Kate Malleson, Patrick O’Brien and I conducted between 2011-2013, I want to piece together evidence that suggests that new Lord Chancellors can and do defend judicial independence.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 18th August 2014
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org/blog
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