Those of you wanting a greater understanding of the Common and Public law will be interested to know that the UK Supreme Court have now started to release judgements on their new Youtube Channel. As the UK state is made up of several separate jurisdictions, this court – in most cases – sits above all of the courts in all jurisdictions. Those of you studying EU law will also know that the UK Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal in the UK, but as the UK is a member of the European Union, rulings from European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights must also be respected.
As well as covering the UK, many other legal systems have this court as part of their judiciary, such as this ruling involving a case in Jamaica :-
Unlike in some other countries, recording is not allowed inside courts in the UK, and so this channel is the first time many people will have a chance to see Judges providing rulings and passing down judgements. Previously, rulings have been broadcast live on Sky News, but until now they have not been recorded. Over 20,000 people each month have watched some of the most important rulings passed down by the 12 Supreme Court Judges. Lord Neuberger, the President of the Supreme Court has worked towards promoting the need for judges to make clear rulings, and for the judgements to be accessible. Each ruling is under 9 minutes long (most are under 5) and are available for anyone who can access YouTube to watch for free.
If you’re visiting YouTube please don’t forget the University of London International Programmes has a channel of videos for you to watch as well, including many about the law and the law course.
Picture of the supreme court is provided from the supreme court website and is credited to them (http://www.supremecourt.gov.uk/press-office.html)