The president of the family division, Sir James Munby, informed newspaper editors recently that later this year practice guidance will be introduced that covers the publication of judgments from family courts and the Court of Protection.
He said that many comments and suggestions had been received in relation to this guidance, which had all been taken into consideration when preparing the final version of the practice guidance.
Sir James Munby has campaigned for a long time for allowing the media access to family proceedings in order to support the media’s general right of access to hearings.
Following the introduction of the practice guidance the next step will be to consider how the media can have access to certain court documents. This is necessary in order to make the media’s access meaningful.
However, for these changes to be introduced there will need to be appropriate amendments to the rules governing the family courts and Court of Protection.
The above is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.
If you require further information please contact Neil McNab on 01245 228132 or mcnabn@gepp.co.uk
