No legislative moves towards broadcasting court proceedings in Northern Ireland will happen for at least another nearly three years, the Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan revealed in remarks marking the opening of the new court term.
It will not happen before the next Assembly session, or mid-2027, effectively halting a process Lady Chief Justice Keegan has championed and which is far more advanced in Scotland, England and Wales.
The delivery of judgments in the Court of Appeal were filmed in a pilot earlier this year. The footage is for planning, training and guidance, not for broadcast.
The Department of Justice, on behalf of minister Naomi Long, confirmed no legislation will be brought to the Assembly this mandate.
The minister wrote to Lady Chief Justice Keegan in May.
“The broadcasting of our senior courts will allow the public to better understand what we do and how judicial decisions are made supporting the principle of open justice,” the judge said.
She believes decisions should be made in an “effective and efficient way which are accessible and understandable”, adding “part and parcel of that is the need for open justice”.
“Without legislative change I cannot oversee the advances I would like. However, I will continue to promote open justice within the parameters that are open to me,” she added.
“That is because it is a long-established principle that justice must be done, and it must be seen to be done. The public has a right to know what happens in their courts.”
A DoJ spokesperson said: “Officials have recently considered the evaluation of the pilot scheme, and the next step will be to develop policy options and publicly consult on these.
“Unfortunately, all of these actions will take some time to progress and therefore any legislation will, if agreed for introduction, have to be considered in the next Assembly mandate in mid-2027.”
