Last-ditch bid for ‘gay hate’ law – BBC News
“The government is bidding to overturn a defeat in the House of Lords over new laws criminalising ‘homophobic hatred’.”
BBC News, 12th November 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: freedom of expression
QC’s view: ‘Media must fight harder for its freedom’ – The Guardian
“‘We do not have free speech in Britain, we have expensive speech … Defending a libel action in Britain is vastly more expensive than in any other European country – lawyers will rack up a million pounds in fees for a short trial and our cash-strapped media is increasingly choosing to settle rather than to fight for its freedom – which, after all, is its reader’s freedom to receive information.'”
The Guardian, 10th November 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Call to reform ‘repressive’ English libel laws – The Guardian
“Intimidating and out-of-date laws are silencing free speech and scientific inquiry, a report claims, amid increasing controversy over England’s status as ‘the libel capital of the world’.”
The Guardian, 10th November 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Libel law reform campaigners seek £10,000 damages cap – OUT-LAW.com
“English libel law imposes disproportionate restrictions on free speech, according to an independent report that recommends 10 changes to the laws. The Ministry of Justice said today that it will launch a consultation on defamation and the internet.”
OUT-LAW.com, 10th November 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
Libel and the cult of the forbidden – The Guardian
“English libel law is as real a threat to free inquiry as the repressive zeal of anti-terrorism policy.”
The Guardian, 10th November 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Network set up to support lawyers defending journalists – The Guardian
“The Media Legal Defence Initiative, launched last week, aims to help journalists around the world by providing lawyers willing to fight for media freedoms.”
The Guardian, 9th November 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
House of Lords to back libel law changes – The Guardian
“Freedom of speech campaigners are claiming victory as the House of Lords is expected to back changes removing ‘anachronistic’ laws which have criminalised libel for more than 700 years.”
The Guardian, 25th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Ministers to consider bolstering press freedom after ‘super-injunction’ debate – The Guardian
“The government is concerned that double gagging orders – ‘super-injunctions’ – are being used too readily by libel law firms, and will involve the judiciary in a consultation hoping to bring down their use.”
The Guardian, 21st October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Free speech in parliament is precious, says lord chief justice – The Guardian
“Britain’s most senior judge has warned his fellow judges that he cannot envisage any circumstances in which it would be “constitutionally possible or proper” for a court to make an order that gagged debate in parliament. His warning follows the Guardian’s free speech victory last week when lawyers for the oil trading company Trafigura gave up their attempt to gag parliament over its dumping of toxic waste in Ivory Coast.”
The Guardian, 20th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
How our senior libel judge stamps on free speech – all over the world – The Guardian
“Mr Justice Eady’s rulings amplify the democratic world’s most illiberal laws – enabled by 12 years of utterly feeble leadership.”
The Guardian, 19th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Spy v spy at new supreme court as MI5 secrecy is put to the test – The Guardian
“It may not have the ring of a historic legal battle. But the case of A v B, which opened at the new supreme court today, has a significance that goes way beyond the banal soubriquets of the two sides.”
The Guardian, 20th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Science writer Simon Singh wins ruling in chiropractic libel battle – The Guardian
“A science writer who is being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association is to fight on after a preliminary judgment against him was overturned on appeal today.”
The Guardian, 14th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Gordon Brown calls for reform of super-injunctions – The Guardian
“Gordon Brown today stepped into the row over the use of super-injunctions that ban reporting of a story and also the existence of the ban, telling MPs the legal tactic was ‘an unfortunate area of the law’.”
The Guardian, 15th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
MP to report Carter-Ruck to Law Society over attempt to gag Guardian – The Guardian
“The law firm at the centre of the an unprecedented attempt by a British oil trading firm to prevent the Guardian reporting parliamentary proceedings is to be reported to the Law Society, it emerged today.”
The Guardian, 14th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Lawcast 155: The Guardian Gag affair with Carl Gardner – Charon QC
“Today I am talking to Carl Gardner, ex government lawyer, a barrister and author of The Head of Legal blog. We look at whether the Bill of Rights has, in fact, been infringed by the gag, the use of injunctions generally and specifically in this instance, the use of parliamentary privilege and whether the judges are going too far in granting injunctions which can, effectively, be destroyed in their effect by many thousands of angry people on twitter and in the blogosphere.”
Charon QC, 13th October 2009
Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com
“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.
Dutch MP overturns UK entry ban – BBC News
“Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has won an appeal against a Home Office decision barring his entry to the UK.”
BBC News, 13th October 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Reporting bans may lose their power in Twitter age says expert after Guardian ban is lifted – OUT-LAW.com
“The editor of a newspaper which was banned from reporting on the tabling of a question in Parliament has thanked the users of micro-blogging service Twitter for their role in what he called a ‘victory for free speech’.”
OUT-LAW.com, 13th October 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
Gag on Guardian reporting MP’s Trafigura question lifted – The Guardian
“The existence of a previously secret injunction against the media by oil traders Trafigura can now be revealed.”
The Guardian, 13th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Guardian gagged from reporting parliament – The Guardian
“The Guardian has been prevented from reporting parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds which appear to call into question privileges guaranteeing free speech established under the 1688 Bill of Rights.”
The Guardian, 12th October 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Freedom of expression and the role of the Supreme Court – some issues from across the world – Speech by The Rt Hon Lady Justice Arden DBE
Freedom of expression and the role of the Supreme Court – some issues from across the world (PDF)
Speech by The Rt Hon Lady Justice Arden DBE
A Judicial-Academic Conference,31st July 2009
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
