Guidance

Observe a court or tribunal hearing

How to observe a hearing as a journalist, researcher or member of the public.

Applies to England and Wales

Court and tribunal hearings in England and Wales usually take place in public. This means you can observe them whether you’re a journalist, academic or member of the public.

This is part of the principle of open justice: judicial proceedings should be conducted in an open, public and transparent manner whenever it is in the interests of justice.

What you can and cannot do

The judge in each case decides how a hearing is held, including whether and how people can observe it. If they think it’s necessary for the proper administration of justice, a judge can decide to hold a hearing in private, with no observers allowed.

You cannot record, broadcast or take photos of any hearing, no matter how you’re observing it.

Options for observing a hearing

Depending on how the hearing is held, you may be able to observe a hearing:

  • in person, from a public gallery
  • remotely, using a video or audio link

Observe a hearing remotely

To check if you can observe a hearing remotely, you’ll need to contact the court or tribunal in advance and provide your full name and email address.

If a court or tribunal does not have the appropriate technology or resources, they might suggest observing the hearing in person instead.

Some courts stream some or all of their hearings online for people to watch:

Find out when and where hearings are taking place

HMCTS publishes public lists of hearings.

There’s detailed guidance for accredited members of the media, including email listings and results from magistrates’ courts.

What happens when you observe a hearing

Find out about:

Get more information about hearings

As well as observing hearings, you can:

Victims and witnesses

See guidance on going to court as a victim or witness.

Updates to this page

Published 6 April 2022
Last updated 28 June 2022 + show all updates
  1. Added 'Observing a hearing remotely' subsection

  2. First published.

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