Publication and anonymisation
Judicial publication must support transparency, legal certainty and public confidence while protecting people and information where restriction is justified.
Factors relevant to publication
- Open justiceJudgments and decisions should be published or recorded where that supports transparency and legal certainty.
- Safeguarding and minorsChildren, vulnerable people and safeguarding-sensitive matters may require anonymity, reduced public detail or restricted access.
- Privacy and personal informationPublication must take account of lawful privacy and personal-information restrictions without treating ordinary embarrassment as an automatic reason to suppress a judicial decision.
- Security and safetyInformation may require restriction where publication would create a genuine security, harassment or safety risk.
- Sensitive evidenceEvidence can be withheld, redacted or described at an appropriate level where the court or tribunal has lawful grounds to protect it.
- Reasons and fairnessProtective measures should preserve sufficient reasons for the parties and the public to understand the judicial decision so far as the law permits.
This page is public information, not a substitute for operative publication rules or a case-specific order.
Any statute, procedure rule, practice direction, anonymity order, reporting restriction or judicial direction applying to a particular case takes precedence.
Authoritative judgments and tribunal decisions selected for publication are preserved through Find Case Law.