Top judge confirms Twitter allowed in court
By Ian Dunt
The legal status of Twitter in court cases has been clarified, with the country’s most senior judge ruling that it may be used during trials.
The use of the site would be allowed in England and Wales as long as it did not interfere with the administration of justice, Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice, said today.
“The use of an unobtrusive, hand-held, virtually silent piece of modern equipment for the purposes of simultaneous reporting of proceedings to the outside world as they unfold in court is unlikely to interfere with the proper administration of justice,” he said.
The interim guidance on the use of the micro-blogging site and “electronic devices”, will now hold until the outcome of a consultation with media bodies.
The issue of reporters or members of the public tweeting from the court room was brought into sharp relief last week after the Julian Assange case saw one judge accept it and another ban it.
The Wikileaks founder’s bail hearing on Tuesday saw regular postings from journalists at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court after District Judge Howard Riddle allowed Tweeting.
Two days later, Mr Justice Ouseley banned tweeting from the High Court during the appeal.
