0370 270 6000

Search

Search Mobile

collapse

already registered?

Please sign in with your existing account details.

Email address

Password

Sign in with LinkedIn

need to register?

Register to access exclusive content, sign up to receive our updates and personalise your experience on brownejacobson.com.

Privacy statement - Terms and conditions

Register with LinkedIn

Forgotten your password?

collapseSign

Home

Insights & events

Resources

Blogs

Tweet ToWho?

Tweet ToWho?

15 March 2011

There is no statutory ban on tweeting from court. Twitter was not even hatched as a concept when the Contempt of Court Act of 1981 was drafted.

Following the permission granted to tweet proceedings from inside court at the bail hearing of Julian Assange in December 2010, a consultation is underway into the issue.

A High Court injunction has already been served via Twitter and on 4 February 2011, the Supreme Court gave the green light on tweeting.

Critics of in court tweets cite inaccurate reporting of proceedings, the ability of jurors to encounter prejudicial material online and the ability of witnesses to find out what has been said before they are called.

However, the electronic age is very much here. Perhaps Twitter will enhance public interest in legal proceedings and bring the process of justice further into the open.

The deadline for submissions for the consultation is 4 May 2011.

Related opinions

Directors who fail to prepare, should prepare to fail

Two recent judgments demonstrate the risk that directors (of insolvent companies) face of being personally liable if appropriate records and procedures are not followed and if it cannot be shown that certain payments were in the interests of the company.

Impact of Covid-19 upon level of fine

Two cases have considered the issue of Covid 19 as part of the sentencing exercise. In the most recent, failures by a principal contractor Modus Workspace, who design and refit refurbishments, led to a £1.1 million fine after an engineer was injured from a fall from a roof.

High Court finds against WASPI women

The High Court has rejected the judicial review claim brought by the campaign group BackTo60 against the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

Cyber risks – are businesses really ready?

The Hiscox Cyber Readiness report, a review of 3300 organisations, will be a stark warning for CEO’s of SME’s in the UK and in Europe.

View all blogs

Mailing list sign up

Select which mailings you would like to receive from us.

Sign up

Quick links

Commercial dispute resolution