We knew it was coming, but seeing it actually there, in black, white and hyperlinked text, was a truly wonderful moment. The Court of Appeal has begun publishing case documents below its link to a hearing.

This is the future, we whispered as we clicked through to see all the skeleton arguments as well as the judgment under appeal in Storm Global Limited and Ryanair DAC v Lutz, a two-day appeal of an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling. To professionals, access to case documents may seem a trivial thing, but for non-parties it is essential to open justice. And that can be a great way of inspiring not only more interest in the law but also foster better understanding in how the legal system, at least this part of it, works.

And  yes, obviously there will be exceptions. In the upcoming Duke of Sussex v Secetary of State for the Home Department Court of Appeal hearing, for example, some matters agreed by the parties to be ‘highly confidential’ relatings to security arrangements, threat levels and assessments for Prince Harry and other public figures, will be dealt with in private.

However the Court of Appeal has ordered that non-confidential skeleton arguments to be made available and copies provided to law reporters and the press. It adds that ‘whilst some of the material that needs to be protected in the interests of justice is entangled with less sensitive details, it should be possible to conduct most of the appeal in public’ and ‘in this way, the open justice principle can be adhered to as faithfully as possible in the particular circumstances of this case’.

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