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04 March 2022 / David Locke
Issue: 7969 / Categories: Opinion , International , Constitutional law
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Sidelining the legal system

73775
Never take our liberties for granted, says David Locke

Imagine a hypothetical scenario: In London this week, a demonstration is taking place against a government ‘vaccine passport’ policy arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is causing local inconvenience, but it is peaceful and some of the demonstrators have even brought their children and pets along. A woman watching the news at home is sympathetic to the aims of the protestors, which are neither illegal nor immoral, and contributes a small sum of money to their campaign using a popular online crowdfunding website. For that matter, many other people make contributions and the total donations are reaching £7.5m. A young couple who own a small independent coffee shop in the locality of the demonstration are also sympathetic. They give the protesters free coffee and let some of them huddle inside the premises from time-to-time, because it is bitterly cold outside given the time of year.

Imagine then the response of the government is as follows: legislation which has been on the books

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Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
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