New rules to allow media to access legal submissions

The press currently has no formal way of accessing written legal submissions relied upon in legal proceedings. Rather, journalists must rely on parties for access to documents, though consent is not always forthcoming.

The new rules will take effect from August 1 and will permit members of the press to access documents in criminal and civil cases opened or deemed to have been opened in court, with access facilitated at court offices.

Brendan Ryan, Courts Services Chief Executive, said the changes would further satisfy to the constitutional requirement that courts administer justice in public.

“In the times we live in, the vast majority of people rely upon the media to provide them with accurate information on the operations of, and the cases before, the courts,” he said.

“These changes will underpin the media’s ability and right to access the necessary information to report on the vast and varied number of cases which the courts hear annually.”