Administrative Court proceedings set to be broadcast from early 2027

Announcing the move in an update, Mr Justice Nicklin said the decision was made in light of the "success of broadcasting of hearings in the Court of Appeal and certain sentencing hearings in the Crown Court".

He said the proposed approach would broadly mirror the established Court of Appeal model, with an initial focus on broadcasting rather than live streaming.

Under this model, third-party broadcasters would apply for permission to film proceedings, subject to judicial approval.

Subject to Parliament’s approval, this is expected to progress from early 2027, Mr Justice Nicklin said.

A separate pilot allowing access to core documents in the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), which ran from April to July 2025, has meanwhile been relaunched for a further 12 months from February 2026, the judge revealed.

Nicklin J said the programme had "demonstrated that greater documentary openness can be achieved in a controlled and proportionate manner", adding that there was a new presumption that documents should be published unless a party objects, subject always to judicial control.

Elsewhere, the update highlighted HMCTS's regional Open Justice Champions - introduced in April 2026 – who are to act as consistent points of contact for judges, staff, the media, and the public, providing practical support on matters such as access to hearings, including remote access.

Mr Justice Nicklin said that work is in progress to establish a streamlined process for contacting the Champions, which is expected to be in place by summer 2026.

The update also highlighted a programme to improve public access to documents entering the public domain, launched in January 2026 in the Commercial Court, London Circuit Commercial Court and the Financial List.

This initiative requires parties to re-file key documents – such as skeleton arguments, witness statements, and expert reports – on the digital case management system CE-File, to support public access.

The Transparency and Open Justice Board was implemented in April 2024, with the objective of ensuring that court proceedings and judicial decisions are accessible to the public and the media, including through appropriate access to hearings, judgments, and court documents.

Commenting on the future of the board, Mr Justice Nicklin said: "The focus for 2026-2027 is therefore firmly on delivery, ensuring that agreed improvements to transparency and open justice are implemented consistently and sustainably across the justice system.

"The Board will continue to work closely with the judiciary, the jurisdiction and stakeholders to support practical change."

Adam Carey