Addressing delegates at the Commonwealth Judges and Magistrates Conference 2023 last week, Lord Burnett devoted his speech to the subject of open justice, which he described as ‘a necessary foundation of the rule of law’.
He described how the broadcasting of sentencing remarks was increasing public understanding of sentencing and raising confidence in the judiciary, ‘myth-busting’ the ‘regular drumbeat… that judges were soft on sentencing’.
He predicted the sentencing remarks ‘in a wider range of cases will inevitably be opened up in time.
‘So too will access to judicial review challenges of government heard in the High Court where there is intense public interest. They resemble appellate proceedings dealing with points of law without oral evidence and are suitable for livestreaming.’
Burnett, who is retiring, will be succeeded by Dame Sue Carr.
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