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Correcting, clarifying or commenting on media reports of family court cases
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Explaining or commenting on published judgments of family court cases
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Highlighting other transparency news
MEDIA (MIS)REPORTS OF FAMILY COURT CASES
We’ve not seen anything to comment on over the last week. Let us know if we missed something as we have been pretty focused on the exciting new pilot of legal bloggers attending family courts (see below).
Transparency Positive / Linker of the Week (back-dated)
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (Melanie Newman)– We did spot this (April 2018) report however, offering a depth of reporting and links to primary sources (family court judgments / research / guidance), rarely on offer from most mainstream news media publications:
Interesting in depth report of important issue for the family courts / social services here from @Melanie_Newman @TBIJ (With much appreciated links for readers to sources including family court judgment). Sorry we missed this at the time (April 2018) https://t.co/4RPlqwcxJ5
— transparency project (@seethrujustice) October 6, 2018
NEWLY PUBLISHED CASES FOR EXPLANATION OR COMMENT
D (A Child) in the Supreme Court – A 16 year old’s appeal (through his litigation friend), of a Court of Appeal decision that his ‘confinement’ in a residential unit didn’t amount to a deprivation of his liberty (Article 5 of the European Convention of Human Rights) where his parents consented to it. The Times reported here. It was live streamed but there appears to be no catch-up option ahead of eventual publication of the judgment:
Changed my mind. The live stream is completely absorbing, though I don’t like the way Lady Hale and Lady Black seem keen to equate a DOL case with s25. Have they ever been in a secure unit? The level of restriction can be horrific.
— ManchesterPedant (@Northernlawyer) October 4, 2018
IN OTHER TRANSPARENCY NEWS
The legal blogging pilot got underway – The pilot, of duly authorised legal bloggers having similar rights to accredited journalists to attend family courts, began on Monday. We tested it out and wrote it up in Inaugural legal blogging day and Day 2: Attending as a non-practising solicitor under the Tranparency Project Umbrella. The Gazette, Legal Futures and Legal Cheek, also reported the pilot. The Transparency Project went on to explain the law for anyone who might want to object to the attendance of a legal blogger (or reporter) in Can I object to a legal blogger (or journalist) coming into my hearing? Key links for those interested in taking up the new right to attend (or applying to do so under the Transparency Project umbrella / publishing a report for us) are here at our Information Page:
My experience is that there is a genuine public thirst for accessible explanations of and information about the law and legal cases. I disagree that it’s of interest only to practitioners.
— The Secret Barrister (@BarristerSecret) October 4, 2018
This and the one from @Familoo yesterday really do shine light on just how complex the actual business of court reporting is https://t.co/XUJpvHOVkB
— CrimeLine (@CrimeLineLaw) October 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1048232490006188033
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1048232490006188033
I'm not part of the "lawyer community" & saw it as a closed, secret world fill of rich people. @BarristerSecret taught me so about the UK legal system in a year of tweets. That's why I bought the book. These blogs & accounts are followed by folk like me, & are immensely valuable.
— Mrs Mushroom (@SussexGoddess) October 6, 2018
Overwhelmingly positive response to launch of legal bloggers pilot so far, but for those few anxious voices worried about how to go about objecting if a journalist or blogger turns up at their case we’ve written a post about the rules on that : https://t.co/42SWXBiite pic.twitter.com/212qNEk6U8
— transparency project (@seethrujustice) October 3, 2018
Family Justice Council debate on covert recording – The FJC announced their next debate, ‘Nothing to hide – what’s wrong with covert recordings?’, in Leeds on 3rd December. Apply here by 21st November. (Lucy Reed, Transparency Project Chair is on the Panel). The Court of Appeal invited Guidance from the FJC though the working group has yet to issue it. (See also Covert Recording : A hot potato lob by the Court of Appeal):
Guaranteed to generate lively debate, this year’s FJC annual debate on using covert recordings in family proceedings: “Nothing to hide, what’s wrong with covert recordings?” @Familoo & @hannahmeg will be debating. Apply to attend by cob on 21.11.18 https://t.co/GiLCNX3C53
— Amandeep Gill (@AGillGenius) October 4, 2018
First Open Family Court workshop announced – Applications to attend this workshop (in Bristol on Saturday 3rd November) to Louise Tickle (freelance journalist and Transparency Project member). Information and contact details here:
First Open Family Court workshop date/venue announced – UWE Bristol on Saturday 3 Nov. Huge thanks to @DrLaurenDevine and her Social Justice Research Group for hosting it – if you'd like to be involved, please contact me. Blog here explains more: https://t.co/Kw5LmYb9Bv pls RT
— The open family court (@openfamilycourt) October 3, 2018
The ALC conference ‘Crisis, What Crisis?’ – This is a lawyer only event but of wider transparency interest in that Carol Coulter of the Child Care Law Reporting Project (Ireland) is speaking on Reporting child care law: reconciling the right to privacy with the need for transparency and accountability in the child protection court:
Dr Carol Coulter who runs the Irish Childcare Law Reporting Project is speaking at this – will be fascinating to hear how Ireland has amended the law to allow detailed, anonymised reporting of family law cases. Currently this would be considered contempt in this country. https://t.co/YbngFw0DsD
— The open family court (@openfamilycourt) October 2, 2018
Feature pic: Courtesy of Flickr Lauri Heikkinen via Creative Commons licence – with thanks