Tweeting will be allowed from hearings in the UK Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, it was announced Thurday last week. Supreme Court justices are "content" for journalists, members of the public and legal teams to use "live text based communications" to let the outside world know what is happening in the courtroom, according to Press Gazette.
The move came in guidance published by the Supreme Court on its practice relating to the use of tweeting and other forms of communication in the "context of ongoing public and professional debate on the issue". The green light was given as cases before the court do not involve interaction with witnesses or jurors, and because there is rarely any reason why what is said should not be placed immediately in the public domain.
A statement announcing the guidance pointed out: "Important exceptions include cases where there are formal reporting restrictions in place, family cases involving the welfare of a child, and cases where publication of proceedings might prejudice a pending jury trial. The guidance is limited to the Supreme Court because of its unique role as the highest appeal court in the land. Different considerations apply to other courts, for a range of legal reasons.
