Supreme Court offers video archive of hearings

5th May 2015 | civil litigation , criminal law

Appeal hearings in the UK Supreme Court over the past 12 months can now be viewed on demand, with the launch today of a new archive to complement the court's live streaming service.

Footage of the proceedings in court will be freely available via each case's page on the Supreme Court website, and will be uploaded the next working day. Once judgment is delivered, footage of the justices' summary in court will also be published alongside the full judgment text and press summary.

The service will include footage of proceedings of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Footage will remain available for approximately one year after the court hearing, before being removed to make way for new cases. For copyright reasons, users will not be able to download the footage for long term storage or editing.

The court expects the move to cut legal costs in the production of transcripts, as well as providing a unique educational tool for lawyers, law students and anyone interested in the workings of the UK's highest court.

"Now justice can be seen to be done at a time which suits you", Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, commented. "The archive will help people see the background to decisions made in our highest appeal court. It will also be useful to the legal profession and serve as an informative tool for those considering a career in the law."

The on-demand archive complements the court's streaming service enabling hearings to be broadcast live from any of its three courtrooms, including sittings of the JCPC. Approximately 15,000 people have used this service each month since it was launched in October 2014.

The new service will be funded by the Supreme Court until March 2016, at which point it will be reviewed in light of user feedback and the court's other spending priorities.

Video on demand can be accessed via both the Current cases (select "Full case details" to access links, where available) and Decided cases (click on the individual case name) sections of the website.