Newspapers win U turn

'Open justice' wins as DCA rewrites claim access rules

Media lawyers have forced the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) into a U-turn over the introduction of a controversial rule that restricted the public's access to court documents.

A new rule, which comes into effect today (2 October), gives the media and members of the public access to documents such as pleadings and defence of a claim, which were previously not freely available.

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