header-logo header-logo

Clash of the Titans

27 May 2011 / Stephen Hockman KC
Issue: 7467 / Categories: Opinion
printer mail-detail

Stephen Hockman QC Courting controversy: Parliament & the judiciary wrangle over privacy

The issue of legal privacy which dominates current headlines is a toxic one. It mingles not only some traditional elements such as sex, football and money. We are also seeing a concerted attempt by the media to gain significant new ground within our political system. We are seeing how the use of the internet can make a political issue much harder to solve. And above all we are seeing how, under our uncodified constitution, there is the potential for damaging tension between the courts and Parliament.

The judges are doing their best to address these problems constructively. If you doubt this, look not only at the report by the Master of the Rolls’ Committee on Super Injunctions, but also at the transcript of the press briefing last week by the Master of the Rolls and the Lord Chief Justice (now on the judiciary’s website at www.judiciary.gov.uk). Lord Judge makes clear his desire to see the use of the internet made

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll