header-logo header-logo

Strange but true

24 April 2015 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 7649 / Categories: Features
printer mail-detail
nlj_24_04_15_regan

Dominic Regan places judges on the naughty step

Judges are expected to sort out mischief, not make it. The recent decision to dismiss junior members from the bench for watching smut on their office desktop is a sorry story. I was intrigued to learn that the powers that be had satisfied themselves that the material was not illegal. How do you think they were able to do that?

My favourite story in this territory was told by Fred Wedlock, one hit wonder with “The oldest swinger in town”. He recounted the story of the man who on his stag night watched a dubious video which, he sadly discovered, starred his bride-to-be.

Nothing new

There is nothing new about judges saying or doing things that bring the bench into disrepute. The golden age of sharp-tongued judges is now behind us. I had the dubious honour of watching Sir Melford Stevenson in action, trying High Court cases. The most robust barristers were terrified of him. His speciality was utterances that would today have him carted off overnight.

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
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
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
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
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
back-to-top-scroll