On 7 May 2014 – next Wednesday – the House of Lords will debate a Motion to Regret the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (No 3) Regulations 2014 (“the Regulations”), tabled by Lord Pannick QC. JUSTICE has today written to all Peers urging them to support Lord Pannick’s Motion to Regret. The Regulations were laid […]
Unjustified judicial review reforms restrict access to justice
April 30, 2014
JUSTICE welcomes a Report published today, by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (“JCHR”) – an influential cross-party Committee of MPs and Peers – which concludes that the Government’s proposals to reform judicial review and limit legal aid for public law challenges may be incompatible with access to justice and endanger the rule of law. […]
NGOs question scope of new torture inquiry
April 7, 2014
JUSTICE – together with a number of other NGOs – has written to the Foreign Secretary to ask how the Government can justify passing the responsibility for the inquiry into the treatment of detainees – formerly under the supervision of Sir Peter Gibson – to the Intelligence and Security Committee (“ISC”). The signatories to the […]
New cuts to legal aid for judicial review
March 24, 2014
Proposed restrictions to legal aid for judicial review claims are unnecessary and ill-considered. Because of the way in which the Regulations have been put forward, they may not even be debated in Parliament. JUSTICE is calling on individual MPs and Peers to table motions against the reform. On 14 March, the Ministry of Justice published […]
Lord Chief Justice launches JUSTICE Strategy
March 4, 2014
We were delighted that Lord Chief Justice has launched our strategy for 2014-16. His speech – Reshaping Justice – was apt. The new strategy reflects a reinvigoration of our organisation, one which sees us return our focus to the proper working of our justice system. We launch our new vision at a time when that […]
MPs debate latest criminal justice proposals and judicial review cuts
February 20, 2014
MPs will return from their week long February recess on Monday to the Second Reading debate on the new Criminal Justice and Courts Bill. The Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 5 February 2014. It would introduce a number of significant changes to criminal and civil justice system and to the substantive […]
Future of the ECHR – JUSTICE consultation response
January 30, 2014
The Council of Europe is currently conducting a consultation on the longer term future of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The consultation closed on 27 January 2014 and is this exercise will continue until Spring 2015. JUSTICE considers that the future of the Convention system must build upon a commitment to the right […]
Immigration Bill – House of Commons Report Stage
JUSTICE is concerned that the Immigration Bill would create a more legally obscure system of immigration control, which places greater power in the hands of administrative authorities without effective means of independent oversight. Read our briefing for the Report Stage of the bill in the House of Commons
Saudi torture judgment must not undermine international torture ban
January 14, 2014
JUSTICE, Amnesty International, REDRESS & INTERIGHTS respond to the European Court of Human Rights’ judgment in Jones v UK After more than ten years of litigation, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has today told three British men that they cannot sue Saudi Arabia or its officials for torture they claim they were subjected […]
JUSTICE says JR plans ‘ill-considered, poorly evidenced and ill-advised’
November 26, 2013
JUSTICE response to Lord Chancellor’s consultation ‘Judicial Review: Proposals for further reform’ (CM 8703) JUSTICE considers that the proposals for reform in Judicial Review: Proposals for further reform are ill-considered, poorly evidenced and ill-advised. The proposed changes: appear designed to insulate public decision makers from effective judicial oversight could have a significant impact on public […]