Guardian's four-year FOI campaign against 'secret justice' reaches tribunal

The Guardian began a two-day Freedom of Information (FOI) tribunal today calling for the release of information about misbehaving members of the judiciary.

According to the paper, 170 judges, magistrates and coroners have faced discipline for misconduct in the last decade.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has maintained that secrecy about such action is necessary for judges' authority in the courtroom.

But, speaking to Journalism.co.uk, reporter Rob Evans, a long-standing promoter of FOI who has been working on this request since 2005, said the Guardian was challenging 'secret justice' and asking for a more accountable judiciary.

"We are trying to create a precedent for this kind of information to be released. In the past the government has always kept it as a kind of secret. They have always been very reluctant to release information about naughty judges," he said.

"These aren't just silly complaints: the Justice Secretary had to take some sort of action for some reason.

"Our basic argument is that people are entitled to know why they have misbehaved, what’s gone wrong. These are people who sit in judgement on the public."

The request by the Guardian has been severely delayed by the Ministry of Justice, because of its subject matter, and by the FOI process as a whole, said Evans.

"It goes into a black hole with the Information Commissioner. In this case the Information Commissioner has gone against us in a decision that we think is wrong," said Evans.

The Guardian will be represented at the tribunal by Geoffrey Robertson QC and Anthony Hudson. A decision is not expected to be made for several weeks - another delay in the already lengthy process, said Evans.

"If we could just get the information commissioner's office to speed up the whole of FOI process. It would be a great advance if we could get the FOI office funded properly," he said.

"For anyone, it just takes too long - especially for journalists."

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