‘Magistrates in England and Wales will have greater sentencing powers to enable them to take on more cases, under plans to clear court backlogs.’
BBC news, 18th January 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘In this recent judicial review (2021) EWHC 1964 (Admin) H.H. Judge Gosnell addressed interesting questions around closure orders, adjournments, Article 6(1) rights, and the refusal of the Magistrates Court to state a case. He declined to grant relief because the issue had become academic, but if that had not been the case he would have found for the Claimant. Leeds City Council, the Claimant’s landlord, were an Interested Party in the JR, took a neutral position and were not represented. Leeds District Magistrates Court, the Defendant, did the same, the usual approach where a court is challenged.’
Nearly Legal, 8th August 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘An analysis of the law on fitness to plead and stand trial in the magistrates’ courts: Silas Lee reviews the key issues and provides some take-away points for defence representatives.’
Carmelite Chambers, 6th June 2021
Source: www.carmelitechambers.co.uk
‘A trial of six people over an Extinction Rebellion protest was delayed when a defendant glued himself to a table in court.’
BBC News, 10th May 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Judges, magistrates and coroners will be allowed to work up until the age of 75, the government announced today. The current standard mandatory retirement age of 70 dates from 1993. The Ministry of Justice said the change seeks to address the fact that people now work later into their lives and the government did not want to lose valued members of the judiciary.’
Law Society's Gazette, 8th March 2021
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘A magistrate and NHS trust board member who was dismissed over his views – based on his beliefs as a Christian – about the appropriateness of the adoption of a child by a same-sex couple, has lost two cases in the Court of Appeal.’
Local Government Lawyer, 4th March 2021
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A woman is thought to be the first person in the UK to be found guilty of drink-driving while using an e-scooter.’
BBC News, 18th January 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Law Society has called for urgent action including a possible two-week pause of non-custodial Crown and magistrates’ court work “amid escalating safety concerns”.’
Local Government Lawyer, 15th January 2021
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Half the fines issued by police for breaches of coronavirus rules in England and Wales have not been paid and will be dealt with by the already beleaguered courts, it has been revealed.’
The Guardian, 30th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘COVID-19 has taken a hammer to the already fragile transparency in our justice system. Open justice means that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done. While journalists and court reporters can bring what happens in court to houses around the country, public access to our courts ensures judges and lawyers are sufficiently scrutinised. The coronavirus pandemic and the transition to virtual courts has all but severed public access to magistrates’ courts, risking the routine occurrence of miscarriages of justice with little prospect of correction.’
Transparency Project, 27th May 2020
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘The Lord Chief Justice has sent a message to magistrates saying the volume of work in the Magistrates’ Courts needs to be increased.’
Local Government Lawyer, 20th May 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Joshua Rozenberg from BBC Radio 4 spoke with Maidstone Bench Chair Gill Fryzer and John Bache from the Magistrates Association for his Law in Action programme.’
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 7th November 2019
Source: www.judiciary.ukwww.judiciary.ukwww.judiciary.uk
‘A legal defence for children who claim they are being exploited by county lines drug gangs needs to be monitored more closely, the Magistrates’ Association has warned.’
The Guardian, 6th October 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A plaque is to be unveiled to commemorate the life of Britain’s first black magistrate.’
BBC News, 1st October 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
’43 Dudmaston, Telford, Shropshire TF3 2DF: BIR/00GF/HSH/2019/0001. This is the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decision on applications by the Borough of Telford and Wrekin for a banning order against David Beattie under section 15(1) Housing and Planning Act 2016 and for a rent repayment order under section 41 H&PA 2016.’
Nearly Legal, 17th September 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘On 19 June 2019, the Employment Appeal Tribunal handed down two separate judgments relating to the same appellant, Mr Richard Page: Page v Lord Chancellor & Anor [2019] UKEAT 0304 18 1906 and Page v NHS Trust Development Authority [2019] UKEAT 0183 18 1906. The appeals related to Mr Page’s religious beliefs in relation to his position as a magistrate and as a Non-Executive Director of an NHS Trust, respectively; and the EAT dismissed the appeals in both cases. From the legal perspective, the two cases were not “linked” as such because there was no cross-referencing between them. However, the action taken by the Lord Chancellor’s Department resulted, indirectly, in action being instituted by the NHS, and the following note relates to both judgments.’
Law & Religion UK, 24th June 2019
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
‘Prison sentences of less than eight weeks should no longer be imposed by the courts, the Magistrates’ Association is urging, in defiance of more radical government proposals.’
The Guardian, 4th June 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Employment Appeal Tribunal is this week hearing an appeal from a former magistrate who was removed from the judiciary after he expressed the view that it was in a child’s best interests to be raised by a mother and a father.’
Local Government Lawyer, 15th May 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘More than half of all magistrates courts in England and Wales have closed since 2010, forcing defendants, witnesses, police, lawyers and justices of the peace to travel sometimes more than 50 miles to access local justice.’
The Guardian, 27th January 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
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