Lady Chief Justice sets up Transparency and Open Justice Board

The Lady Chief Justice, Dame Sue Carr, has created a Transparency and Open Justice Board, which will “lead and coordinate the promotion of transparency and open justice across the courts and tribunals of England & Wales”.

The board will be chaired by Mr Justice Nicklin, a judge in the King’s Bench Division. The other members of the panel are:

  • Lisa Allera (Head of News, Judicial Office)
  • Mrs Justice Cockerill (KBD, Commercial Court & BPC)
  • Judge Barry Clarke, President of Employment Tribunals
  • His Honour Judge Robert Harrison (Designated Civil Judge, Wales)
  • Mr Justice Johnson (KBD)
  • His Honour Judge Kearl KC (Resident Judge, Leeds Crown Court)
  • Mrs Justice Lieven (Family Division)
  • Amy Shaw (Deputy Director, Communications Judicial Office)
  • Lord Justice Snowden (Court of Appeal)
  • Mrs Justice Thornton (KBD, Chair of Judicial Communications Committee)

The Lady Chief Justice said the board’s first task will be to engage widely in setting key objectives to guide its work.

The terms of reference for the board are:

1. To lead and coordinate the promotion of transparency and open justice across the Courts and Tribunals in England & Wales.

2. To establish a Stakeholder Committee to assist the Board.

3. Following wide engagement with interested parties, to finalise the Key Objectives.

4. To promote the Key Objectives across Courts and Tribunals in England & Wales.

5. To identify (and if necessary, establish) appropriate sub-committees in each of the jurisdictions in the Courts and Tribunals in England & Wales who, reporting to the Board, will:

a. assess that jurisdiction’s current delivery of transparency and open justice against the Key Objectives, identifying areas for improvement;

b. identify any obstacle(s) to achieving the Key Objectives (e.g. jurisdictional/legal or practical/resources); and

c. identify any risk(s) that the Key Objectives would pose to the relevant Court/Tribunal/Jurisdiction; and

d. propose a programme of changes to achieve the Key Objectives.

6. In partnership with HMCTS and MoJ, to support and coordinate that programme across the Courts and Tribunals in England & Wales to achieve the Key Objectives.
A&M Bacon