Coronavirus

Nearly a quarter of a million people are waiting for their court cases to be heard in London, new figures show. The logjam was revealed as mayor Sadiq Khan called on the UK government to create a “large-scale, secure facility” to begin processing high-priority cases.

A new bill to allow arrangements to be put in place for the Scottish general election in response to Covid-19 has been introduced at Holyrood. The election is currently planned for 6 May 2021.

The Lord Justice General, Lord Carloway has issued a practice note aimed at reducing the current summary case backlog, whilst ensuring physical distancing, in the sheriff courts. Currently, many summary sheriff court cases resolve on the day when the trial is scheduled by an agreed guilty plea betwe

Justice will survive the Covid-19 pandemic, Tony Lenehan writes. All lawyers love traditions. Members of the Faculty of Advocates maybe more so. The horsehair wigs, the silken gowns. Advocates have had the same professional home in Parliament House in Edinburgh for 488 years. That’s about 90 y

The legal profession must act to ensure there is no "lasting detriment" to young lawyers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic striking early in their careers, the deputy president of the UK Supreme Court has said. Lord Hodge spoke on the courts' response to the pandemic at the British Irish Commerci

The actions of the UK government during the coronavirus emergency this year bear the hallmarks of authoritarianism, Lord Sumption has warned. The former Supreme Court justice noted that authoritarian government promotes "loyalty at the expense of wisdom and flattery at the expense of objective advic

The UK government is being sued over its failure to disclose details of over £3 billion worth of Covid-19 contracts that it has awarded to private companies. Three MPs and the Good Law Project are seeking judicial review of the government's failure to disclose the information, arguing it is br

The House of Lords Constitution Committee is undertaking an inquiry into the constitutional issues raised by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is exploring the impact of the pandemic on:  Calls for written evidence on the courts and Parliament strands of the inquiry have closed, and the committee is in

Niall McCluskey and Christian McNeill take a critical look at the latest coronavirus rules. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The corollary is that the state attempts to create laws that are certain.

Sheriff Court jury trials delayed as a result of Covid-19 are set to resume in remote jury centres across Scotland following new government funding. The Scottish government has provided £6.5 million to enable the new remote jury centres to deliver capacity for 18 jury trial courts to operate.

Some emergency measures in the criminal justice system, including the use of electronic signatures and electronic transmission of documents, should continue after the Covid-19 crisis, inspectors have said. In a new joint report, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and HM Inspectorate of Pros

Plans to allow women to continue accessing early medical abortions at home after the Covid-19 pandemic have gone out for consultation. Since March, eligible women have been allowed to take both pills required for an early medical abortion (mifepristone and misoprostol) in their own homes after a tel

The Law Society of Scotland has welcomed proposals to clear the Covid-19 courts backlog and called for "urgent, full and frank discussions with all interested parties" to address the problem. Holyrood’s Justice Committee yesterday published a report setting out a “basket of measures&rdqu

The Lord President, Lord Carloway, has hailed the “remarkable” determination of the legal profession to maintain access to justice during the Covid-19 pandemic. In his address marking the Opening of the Legal Year, Lord Carloway said it seemed likely that the current remote systems in co

A senior lawyer has warned that it is "just a matter of time" until Covid-19 is transmitted in court buildings unless more preventive measures are taken. Stuart Murray, president of the Aberdeen Bar Association, told The Press and Journal that the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) is "fai