On Thursday 8 December 2016 at The Lighthouse in Glasgow, four eminent lawyers and academics with varying knowledge and perceptions of Brexit presented their views on one of the most constitutionally significant events in British history. Organised in partnership with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and chaired by Sarah Smith, BBC Scotland Editor, the […]
James Wolffe QC stresses need to respect the dignity and rights of all
December 14, 2016
Lord Advocate, James Wolffe, QC gave the 2016 JUSTICE Human Rights Day Lecture on Friday 9 December. He emphasised the need to respect the dignity and rights of all people within the criminal justice system, whether victim, witness or accused. Mr Wolffe’s first speech since he was appointed Lord Advocate in June took place at […]
JUSTICE written evidence to Scottish Parliament Human Rights Inquiry
December 3, 2015
JUSTICE has urged MSPs to consider the implications of the Government’s proposed repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998 for the Scots legal system. Responding to a call for evidence on the upcoming changes from the European and External Affairs Committee at Holyrood, JUSTICE raises concerns about the likelihood that the proposed reforms will reduce […]
Stakeholder discussion paper on a Letter of Rights for Scotland- a year on
July 10, 2015
JUSTICE Scotland responded to a Scottish Government consultation on the Letter of Rights for suspects in police detention, a year on from the introduction of the letter. JSUTICE Scotland responded to the last review and were pleased that almost all of our suggestions had been incorporated into the letter. However, now that the EU Directive on […]
Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill
January 14, 2015
In general terms, we welcome the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill as a means of bringing forward reforms to the Scottish criminal justice system, particularly to amend changes brought about through the emergency legislation hastily enacted in response to the Cadder case, in which we intervened, that recognised the right of access to a lawyer during […]
JUSTICE Scotland Response to the Post Corroboration Safeguards Review
December 12, 2014
JUSTICE Scotland responded to the Post Corroboration Safeguards Review, the latest in a series of consultations regarding reform of the criminal justice system, this one with respect to necessary safeguards should the corroboration rule be abolished. JUSTICE Scotland Response to the Post Corroboration Safeguards Review– December, 2014
JUSTICE Scotland Response to the Post Corroboration Safeguards Review
December 9, 2014
JUSTICE Scotland responded to the Post Corroboration Safeguards Review, the latest in a series of consultations regarding reform of the criminal justice system, this one with respect to necessary safeguards should the corroboration rule be abolished. Downloads JUSTICE Scotland Response to the Post Corroboration Safeguards Review– December, 2014
Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill
March 16, 2014
The wider proposed reforms in the Bill will lead to a significant amount of additional business for the Sheriff Court. We are concerned that the Sheriff Court may not have the capacity to cope with the likely volume of cases that will result not just from these reforms, but from the implementation of the court […]
Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill
March 10, 2014
The Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill will introduce important procedural limitations to the process of judicial review in Scotland. Judicial review allows individual citizens to seek a remedy for the unlawful conduct of public authorities and decision makers. In a country without a written constitution which governs the relationship between the individual and the State, its […]
Scottish Government Consultation on Civil Appeals from the Court of Session
September 11, 2013
JUSTICE responded to the Scottish Government consultation on the proposal to introduce a leave requirement for Scottish cases to proceed to the Supreme Court. Currently no equivalent requirement for leave applies to that applicable in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Instead, appeals must be certified by counsel before being referred. JUSTICE expressed our support for […]