Lord Burnett calls for greater engagement between judiciary and public

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon said that judges themselves sow confusion: “The judiciary invites misunderstanding or incomprehension if its stands completely apart and aloof from society.”

Addressing Commonwealth judges and magistrates in Brisbane, the judge said that there was an erosion of support for the judiciary in some countries and that this risked the principle of judicial independence and the rule of law.

“We have seen judges referred to as ‘so-called judges’. We see judges being criticised because their decisions fail to match the popular mood,” he said in reference to the media attack on judges in the Brexit case.

He also said that failure to respect privacy injunctions online could develop into other forms of “non-compliance”.

“If we start to see more broadly a culture of non-compliance with court orders, we may see a culture of contempt for the judiciary, judicial independence and the rule of law develop.”

In order to prevent this, the Lord Chief Justice suggested that judiciaries could commit to open justice and effective public access, including greater use of online publication and broadcasting of hearings.

“I look forward to a measured expansion of livestreaming and broadcasting of proceedings more widely,” he said.