Ministers respond to ruling on ‘life means life’ sentences – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 9th, 2014 in courts, human rights, news, sentencing by sally

‘Government will send Europe initial response to controversial Strasbourg ruling which said “whole life” tariffs are a breach of human rights.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th January 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Chancery Modernisation Review: Final Report Published – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted December 18th, 2013 in consultations, courts, news, reports by sally

‘A review of the Chancery Division of the High Court by Lord Justice Briggs is published today. Based in the Rolls Building in London and in the seven principal regional trial centres, the Chancery Division is now the largest unit for handling business and property cases in the country.’

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Judiciary of England and Wales, 17th December 2013

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

BSB publishes guidance on deliberately failing to attend court – Bar Standards Board

‘The Bar Standards Board has today published guidance on deliberately failing to attend court.’

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Bar Standards Board, 18th December 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

‘Let reformed drug addicts become magistrates’, suggests think tank – The Independent

Posted December 17th, 2013 in courts, drug abuse, magistrates, news, rehabilitation by sally

‘Ex-offenders who’ve turned away from crime would be ideally suited to help deal with low-level offenders.’

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The Independent, 17th December 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Traffic courts up and running in 29 areas – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 16th, 2013 in courts, news, road traffic offences by sally

‘All areas should have a dedicated traffic court within the next 6 months Justice Minister Damian Green said today (13 December 2013).’

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Ministry of Justice, 13th December 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Government proposes higher court fees for commercial cases – OUT-LAW.com

Posted December 6th, 2013 in civil justice, company law, consultations, courts, fees, news by tracey

‘Companies seeking to recover large sums through the civil courts could be charged up to £20,000 in fees under proposals put forward by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).’

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OUT-LAW.com, 6th December 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

European court is not superior to UK supreme court, says Lord Judge – The Guardian

Posted December 5th, 2013 in courts, human rights, judges, news, speeches, treaties by sally

‘The law should be changed to make it clear that British courts are not obliged to implement judgments of the European court of human rights (ECHR), according to the former lord chief justice.’

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The Guardian, 4th December 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court fees: proposals for reform – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 4th, 2013 in budgets, consultations, costs, courts, fees, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘The courts play a vital role in our democracy. They provide access to justice for those who need it, help to maintain social order and support the proper functioning of the economy.’

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Ministry of Justice, 3rd December 2013

Source: http://consult.justice.gov.uk

Court fees set to soar for commercial litigation – Litigation Futures

Posted December 4th, 2013 in bills, consultations, costs, courts, fees, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

‘Court fees for litigants in commercial money claims could rise from under £3,000 to more than £21,000 under plans by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for a percentage-based fee system.’

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Litigation Futures, 4th December 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Support for vulnerable women and taxpayers in court fees changes – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 3rd, 2013 in civil justice, consultations, courts, domestic violence, fees, injunctions, news by sally

‘People taking high value cases through civil courts in England and Wales will be expected to pay much more towards their running costs, Courts Minister Shailesh Vara has announced – while the fees for domestic violence injunctions will be scrapped.’

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Ministry of Justice, 3rd December 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Stop deferring to human rights court, says senior judge – The Guardian

Posted November 28th, 2013 in courts, human rights, interpretation, judges, news, speeches, treaties by tracey

‘UK courts should stop deferring to the European court of human rights on every issue and develop their own rulings, according to Lord Justice Laws, the longest serving court of appeal judge.’

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The Guardian, 27th November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High Court moves to hotel room as frail father sues sons – The Independent

Posted November 26th, 2013 in courts, families, hotels, news, trusts by tracey

‘The barristers removed their wigs and gowns, the judge presided over the hearing in a suit and the usual wood-panelled backdrop was replaced with a conference suite when the High Court moved to a luxury London hotel yesterday. The unusual venue was granted for an extraordinary feud involving members of the Singh family, the owners of part of the Radisson Blu hotel chain.’

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The Independent, 26th November 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Hostility to the European Court and the risks of contagion – Philip Leach and Alice Donald – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 22nd, 2013 in courts, human rights, judiciary, news, treaties by tracey

‘The relationship between the UK and the European Court remains turbulent and fractious. The Court has been the subject of significant criticism, notably from some politicians and commentators in the UK, relating to its supposed interference in domestic, sovereign questions and the quality of its judges. Some commentators, such as Michael Pinto-Duschinsky and the MP Nick Herbert have advocated withdrawal from the jurisdiction of the Court.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 21st November 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘Reform court process for children and sex attack victims’, says former senior judge – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 22nd, 2013 in children, courts, evidence, news, sexual offences, victims, witnesses by tracey

‘Radical reforms to the way children and adult sex abuse victims give evidence in court have been floated by the former Lord Chief Justice.
Lord Judge, who stepped down as England and Wales’ most senior judge at the end of September, said there could be a “powerful case” to end the way in which rape and other sex crimes victims currently give evidence.’

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Daily Telegraph, 21st November 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice: public should decide if Islamic veil should be allowed in court – Daily Telegraph

“The most senior judge in England and Wales says a public consultation will open on the ‘divisive’ subject soon.”

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Daily Telegraph, 5th November 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice suggests using Skype and FaceTime in courts – The Independent

“Video-call technology such as Skype and FaceTime could be used to allow criminal defendants to take part in court hearings from home, the most senior judge in England and Wales has said. In his first press conference, the new Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, said the use of such applications could reduce the cost of hearings held in the run up to a trial.”

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The Independent, 5th November 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Court of Appeal broadcasters must learn the Supreme Court lessons – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 1st, 2013 in appeals, courts, media, news, Supreme Court by sally

“TV cameras are recording Court of Appeal hearings from today. The BBC, ITN, Sky News and the Press Association are cooperating on the project, and have hired an in-court video-journalist who will recommend the most interesting cases.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 31st October 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Liz Fisher: The Proposal for a New Specialist Planning Chamber and the Framing of Administrative Law – UK Constitutional Law Group

Posted November 1st, 2013 in courts, environmental protection, judicial review, news, planning, tribunals by sally

“One of proposals in the Ministry of Justice’s paper on Judicial Review: Proposals for Further Reform is the creation of a new specialist planning chamber as part of the Upper Tribunal. While planning tends to be thought of as a niche area of public law (and a technically dense one at that) the way in which the paper frames discussion should give public lawyers pause for thought. This is particularly when planning judicial reviews have often been cited by government representatives as examples of why reform is needed to judicial review. The Further Reforms paper is no exception – the only two ‘case studies’ (albeit no case names) given in the paper are of judicial review of planning decisions (p 5 and 6).”

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UK Constitutional Law Group, 1st November 2013

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Televising of court of appeal proceedings starts this week – The Guardian

Posted October 31st, 2013 in appeals, courts, media, news, trials by michael

“Proceedings in the court of appeal are due to be televised from Thursday [31st October], casting aside decades of judicial suspicion about the impact of cameras in the courtroom.”

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The Guardian, 30th October 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The courts are secular, says top family judge – Law Society’s Gazette

“The law has a neutral view of religious belief, the president of the Family Division said today, stressing the secular nature of the judges’ job.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 29th October 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk