Family Courts: new Transparency Order freedoms for press
Premier League Footballer & Transparency Order
On 29th January 2024, groundbreaking “Transparency Orders” were introduced, to be piloted in a number of Family Courts throughout the Country.
Transparency Orders were created to ensure that reports by legal bloggers and accredited media concerning family court cases would be done safely, and with minimum disruption to the parties in the case and the court.
On 30th July 2024, sitting in the Central Family Court, His Honour Judge Edward Hess handed-down his public judgment after granting a Transparency Order within financial remedy proceedings concerning the Premier League Footballer Kyle Walker and influencer Lauryn Goodman.
When the hearing began, the Judge received requests from three journalists to attend the hearing under the transparency pilot that was introduced in the Central Family Court. The application by the journalists was opposed by the mother.
In passing his judgment, His Honour Judge Hess said:
‘It would be a nonsense, opening the court to ridicule, to try to redact or anonymise this judgment to prevent identification of the parties… For me, on the facts of this case, the balancing exercise must come down against the mother’s argument. For me, the right of the press to scrutinise and comment upon the court’s procedures and decisions, and what the mother has requested of the father and how he has responded, are on this occasion a greater priority.’
His Honour Judge Hess saw ‘no benefit to the children or anybody else in the court trying to impose restrictions’ to prevent reference to the ‘already widely publicised’ names of the children.
His Honour Judge Hess also added:
‘In these circumstances it is my view preferable that anybody interested in the topic should have the opportunity to read the full independent account contained in this judgment before reaching any conclusions about what has happened.’
Alistair Dobson, Senior Associate Solicitor
Lawson West Solicitors, Market Harborough
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