Court and tribunal judgments to be hosted by National Archives from April 2022
Important court and tribunal judgments are to be made available via The National Archives for the first time, a move that the Ministry of Justice has claimed will increase transparency and secure “free access for all”.
The MoJ said the National Archives website would host thousands of court judgments, “saving time and money for lawyers, judges, academics, journalists, students and members of the public who require them for vital case preparation or research purposes”.
Judicial review rulings, European case law, commercial judgments "and many more cases of legal significance" from the High Court, Upper Tier Tribunal, and the Court of Appeal will be available to anyone from April 2022.
The MoJ noted that at present, there are multiple sources for court judgment publications, of which BAILII is the largest.
The long-term aim is for all of them to migrate onto The National Archives website “which has a track record in hosting digital files safely and securely”.
The Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, said: “Ensuring court judgments are easily accessible is central to the rule of law and the principle of open justice.
“Having used BAILII myself as a criminal barrister, I am extremely grateful for the work they have done over the years to make judgments available to the public.
“This new service will ensure they remain accessible to anyone who needs them, under safe and secure arrangements with The National Archives.”
BAILII will continue to provide free access to judgments, for other jurisdictions, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth as well as England and Wales.
Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper at The National Archives, said: “Court and tribunal judgments are vital public records. As world leaders in digital archiving and legal publishing, The National Archives will ensure that judgments are safely preserved and made accessible for the centuries to come.”
The National Archives will take this work on as part of their statutory duties under the Public Records Act 1958. “Under their expertise and guidance we will have the infrastructure necessary to expand coverage beyond legally significant court and tribunal judgments in the future,” the MoJ said.
