The Podium

Courts and justice

A free press

Writing in On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History, Thomas Carlyle attributed to Edmund Burke the notion that there "were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all." Indeed, a free press has conventionally been held as a prerequisite for a free society, but this view has come under considerable scrutiny in recent years, with the perceived intrusions of print journalists culminating in the revelations of widespread illegal practices. How should we respond to these often shocking findings? Can the State play a role and, if so, what ought that role to be?

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The European Court of Human Rights

First established in 1959, the European Court of Human Rights has been described as the “Conscience of Europe”, designed to guard against a repetition of the appalling crimes of the Second World War. Now, in an age in which human rights are much more prominent, does Europe still need a collective conscience? If so, is the ECtHR still best placed to provide it? Should human rights be enshrined by supranational conventions, or does this have the potential to violate the constitutional principle that Acts of Parliament cannot be set aside by the Judiciary?

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Justice and Artificial Intelligence

A robust, enforceable regulatory framework in which commerce and enterprise can flourish is among the necessary conditions for a prosperous society. But this foundational principle can be undermined if delays and costs present barriers which make securing justice prohibitive. What role can technology, and AI in particular, play in bringing those barriers down?

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