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UK justice secretary proposes limiting jury trials to murder, manslaughter and rape cases amid record 78,000+ case backlog
Justice Secretary David Lammy proposes judge-only trials for up to 75% of cases to address a backlog exceeding 78,000 in England and Wales Crown Courts.
- On Tuesday, Justice Secretary David Lammy proposed scrapping jury trials for most offences in England and Wales, keeping juries only for murder, rape, and manslaughter cases.
- The MoJ presentation produced earlier this month noted Crown Courts face a record backlog of more than 78,000 cases, which officials warn could exceed 100,000, delaying trials until late 2029 or early 2030.
- The MoJ briefing outlines creating a Crown Court Bench Division to hear many cases by judges alone, retaining judge-alone hearings for complex fraud, financial and cyber crime but removing lay magistrates in many serious trials.
- Legal bodies and opposition figures warned that removing jury trials would undermine a constitutional feature over 800 years old, risk fairness, remove the automatic right to appeal, and increase magistrates' sentencing powers to 24 months.
- The reforms require primary legislation scheduled for early next year, with ministers expected to set out detailed plans within the coming weeks and seek cross-Cabinet sign-off.
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The UK wants to scrap jury trials for many crimes. Opponents fear the loss of an ancient right
For hundreds of years, Britons accused of substantial crimes have had the right to be tried by their peers in a court of law. But now as the country grapples with an acute backlog of cases waiting to be heard, the right to trial by jury is being curtailed, in what legal experts warn could lead to less fair rulings.
·Atlanta, United States
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Total News Sources74
Leaning Left15Leaning Right13Center21Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 31%
C 43%
R 26%
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