UK Orders Deletion of Country's Largest Court Reporting Archive
3 57The UK's Ministry of Justice has ordered the deletion of the country's largest court reporting archive [non-paywalled source], a database built by data analysis company Courtsdesk that more than 1,500 journalists across 39 media organizations have used since the lord chancellor approved the project in 2021.
Courtsdesk's research found that journalists received no advance notice of 1.6 million criminal hearings, that court case listings were accurate on just 4.2% of sitting days, and that half a million weekend cases were heard without any press notification. In November, HM Courts and Tribunal Service issued a cessation notice citing "unauthorized sharing" of court data based on a test feature.
Courtsdesk says it wrote 16 times asking for dialogue and requested a referral to the Information Commissioner's Office; no referral was made. The government issued a final refusal last week, and the archive must now be deleted within days. Chris Philp, the former justice minister who approved the pilot and now shadow home secretary, has written to courts minister Sarah Sackman demanding the decision be reversed.
3 comments
Re:Ok (Score: 5, Insightful)
by sabbede ( 2678435 ) on Wednesday February 11, 2026 @01:25PM (#65982704)
Or the MoJ is horribly embarrassed when shown that they are doing a really bad job. 4.2% accuracy? Unacceptable in a nation that relies upon public trials to ensure justice.
This also serves as a reminder as to why the separation of powers is a good thing. The UK puts the legislature in charge of everything, instead of breaking out the court and executive branches.
Re:Ok (Score: 5, Insightful)
by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Wednesday February 11, 2026 @01:54PM (#65982800)
One American citizen executed in the street by masked men is still one too many
Reporting the wrong info (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Snert32 ( 10404345 ) on Wednesday February 11, 2026 @01:50PM (#65982784)
If the database is reporting that the government does a poor job (not informing reporters, very low accuracy rate), there are two choices: 1) Do a better job, or 2) Cancel the reporting. Of course, the answer is obvious ...