Supreme Court broadcasts judgment in Graham Dwyer case

The news that Graham Dwyer lost his appeal before the Supreme Court has hit all the national headlines, but an interesting subtext was how the decision was delivered: it was broadcast.

Traditionally cameras have been kept out of Irish court rooms, with the rare exception of closed-circuit cameras broadcasting to vulnerable witnesses in remote witness rooms. Covid brought an explosion of virtual hearings, and in its wake the Supreme Court announced that it will make more of its judgments available for broadcast and may also allow broadcast of legal argument.

Broadcasting predates Covid, with some limited delayed broadcasts dating back to 2017, but the pandemic has kickstarted this paradigm shift for the Irish judicial system, and the Supreme Court also envisages the broadcasting of legal argument as well.

We have not reached the point where full hearings or trials are broadcast live as they are in many other countries, but surely it will be matter of time, because, as Lord Hewart famously remarked, “justice needs to be seen to be done.”

Witnesses do not have to worry about getting themselves camera ready – just yet, but in the meantime can avail of La Touche Training’s witness and courtroom skills courses, where they can get practical yet professional training on how to present evidence and conduct themselves in court.

For further information on Ireland’s Leading Expert Witness Training programme provider, please visit our Expert Witness page.