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Ontario to Broadcast Court Proceedings Online
In a recent bid to increase the openness of Ontario’s judicial system and the public’s understanding of it, Attorney General Michael Bryant has announced that some court proceedings will soon be broadcast on the Internet and will also be archived online for three months. In addition, DVD copies of the recordings will be made available to the media, presumably for broadcast purposes. This initiative is part of a larger response to recommendations made by the Panel on Justice and the Media, convened to facilitate understanding between the justice system and the media.
Current legislation (the Courts of Justice Act) contains a wide prohibition against photography and audio/video recording at court hearings, and will need to be amended to facilitate this new policy. The proceedings that will be broadcast through the Internet will not be first instance hearings, so Ontarians cannot expect to watch a murder trial (yet). At this time the project is limited to the Court of Appeal for Ontario, so viewers can expect to see the dialogue between lawyers and judges. A significant open question is whether Mr. Bryant or his successors will seek to broadcast first instance proceedings. If so, it will likely open up a lively debate about witnesses’ privacy rights and the potential impact on conduct of counsel.
For a copy of the Panel’s report, visit:
http://www.paneljusticeandmedia.jus.gov.on.ca/pjm/en/