Joshua Rozenberg
@joshuarozenberg.bsky.social
KC (hon). UK's most experienced full-time legal commentator. Honorary bencher, Gray's Inn. Former solicitor (non-practising). Writes at https://rozenberg.substack.com
Politicians are under a heavy responsibility to avoid inaccurate criticism of judges and their decisions, the lady chief justice of England and Wales told MPs yesterday.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/think-first
rozenberg.substack.com/p/think-first
Think first
Attacking judges has consequences, lady chief justice tells MPs
rozenberg.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Politicians are under a heavy responsibility to avoid inaccurate criticism of judges and their decisions, the lady chief justice of England and Wales told MPs yesterday.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/think-first
rozenberg.substack.com/p/think-first
What is property? It seems a simple enough question. I own my clothes. But do I own my body, my ideas, my country? My personal data may be better protected than my bicycle — but do I own it? And what about natural resources? Does anyone own them? Listen now.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/paradoxes-...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/paradoxes-...
Paradoxes of property
From castles and contracts to information and ideas
rozenberg.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:05 AM
What is property? It seems a simple enough question. I own my clothes. But do I own my body, my ideas, my country? My personal data may be better protected than my bicycle — but do I own it? And what about natural resources? Does anyone own them? Listen now.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/paradoxes-...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/paradoxes-...
Despite endemic delays in the criminal justice system, the High Court has said that a judge at a busy London court should not have ordered a defendant to be held in custody for five months beyond the statutory time limit.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/the-laws-d...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/the-laws-d...
The law’s delays
If custody time limits can easily be extended, what’s the point of having them?
rozenberg.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Despite endemic delays in the criminal justice system, the High Court has said that a judge at a busy London court should not have ordered a defendant to be held in custody for five months beyond the statutory time limit.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/the-laws-d...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/the-laws-d...
Now updated with link to my column in the Law Society Gazette.
The rule of law must be protected against further erosion, a parliamentary committee warns us today. Failure to do so, says the House of Lords constitution committee, risks the rise of extremist political parties, ultimately creating space for dictatorship.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/tyranny-an...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/tyranny-an...
Tyranny and anarchy
The rule of law is trying to hold the line, say peers
rozenberg.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Now updated with link to my column in the Law Society Gazette.
Israel has asked the International Criminal Court to disqualify its prosecutor Karim Khan KC and cancel the arrest warrants he obtained last year against the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/khans-warr...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/khans-warr...
Khan’s warrants ‘tainted’
Israel says doubts over prosecutor's impartiality mean court should cancel arrests
rozenberg.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Israel has asked the International Criminal Court to disqualify its prosecutor Karim Khan KC and cancel the arrest warrants he obtained last year against the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/khans-warr...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/khans-warr...
The rule of law must be protected against further erosion, a parliamentary committee warns us today. Failure to do so, says the House of Lords constitution committee, risks the rise of extremist political parties, ultimately creating space for dictatorship.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/tyranny-an...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/tyranny-an...
Tyranny and anarchy
The rule of law is trying to hold the line, say peers
rozenberg.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:11 AM
The rule of law must be protected against further erosion, a parliamentary committee warns us today. Failure to do so, says the House of Lords constitution committee, risks the rise of extremist political parties, ultimately creating space for dictatorship.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/tyranny-an...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/tyranny-an...
The justice secretary David Lammy and his predecessor Shabana Mahmood were found by the High Court yesterday to have breached article 3 of the human rights convention, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/inhuman-tr...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/inhuman-tr...
Inhuman treatment
High Court finds unprecedented breach of article 3 by home secretary
rozenberg.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:07 AM
The justice secretary David Lammy and his predecessor Shabana Mahmood were found by the High Court yesterday to have breached article 3 of the human rights convention, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/inhuman-tr...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/inhuman-tr...
The Law Commission has responded to concerns raised by national policing organisations and the government that riots in Southport last year might have been quelled if the police had been able to release more information about the suspect.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/what-we-ca...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/what-we-ca...
What we can be told
Reforms to contempt of court laws
rozenberg.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:02 AM
The Law Commission has responded to concerns raised by national policing organisations and the government that riots in Southport last year might have been quelled if the police had been able to release more information about the suspect.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/what-we-ca...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/what-we-ca...
The home secretary is expected to outline reforms to the way article 8 of the human rights convention is interpreted by courts and tribunals. Article 8, which protects the right to private and family life, has been relied on by migrants challenging removal.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/article-8-...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/article-8-...
Article 8 reforms planned
And states that refuse to take back migrants will face sanctions
rozenberg.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:12 AM
The home secretary is expected to outline reforms to the way article 8 of the human rights convention is interpreted by courts and tribunals. Article 8, which protects the right to private and family life, has been relied on by migrants challenging removal.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/article-8-...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/article-8-...
The BBC has apologised to President Donald Trump and withdrawn the edition of Panorama over which he threatened to sue for $1 billion, apparently satisfying two of the three demands made in a letter from his lawyer last weekend.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/bbc-apolog...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/bbc-apolog...
BBC apologises to Trump
But it says there is no basis for a defamation claim
rozenberg.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:07 AM
The BBC has apologised to President Donald Trump and withdrawn the edition of Panorama over which he threatened to sue for $1 billion, apparently satisfying two of the three demands made in a letter from his lawyer last weekend.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/bbc-apolog...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/bbc-apolog...
Scottish judges have violated the rights of rape suspects, the UK Supreme Court decided yesterday. Scotland's courts must now modify their approach to the admissibility of evidence in sexual offences cases. The ruling affects past, current and future hearings.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/suspects-h...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/suspects-h...
Suspects have rights too
Scottish judges told they have been handling rape trials wrongly
rozenberg.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Scottish judges have violated the rights of rape suspects, the UK Supreme Court decided yesterday. Scotland's courts must now modify their approach to the admissibility of evidence in sexual offences cases. The ruling affects past, current and future hearings.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/suspects-h...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/suspects-h...
Pablo Arredondo, who developed the precursor to CoCounsel and then sold it to Thomson Reuters for $650m, is not so sure about the choice of name now. And while he fizzes with excitement at finding what AI can do, he is more aware than most of its limitations.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/the-limits...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/the-limits...
The limits of AI
Lawyer who built a $650m AI business warns of its drawbacks
rozenberg.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Pablo Arredondo, who developed the precursor to CoCounsel and then sold it to Thomson Reuters for $650m, is not so sure about the choice of name now. And while he fizzes with excitement at finding what AI can do, he is more aware than most of its limitations.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/the-limits...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/the-limits...
Will President Trump sue the BBC for $1 billion? As the US president no doubt intended, it’s a figure that appears in almost every front-page newspaper headline today.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/will-trump...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/will-trump...
Will Trump sue?
Not if the BBC makes sufficient amends this week
rozenberg.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Will President Trump sue the BBC for $1 billion? As the US president no doubt intended, it’s a figure that appears in almost every front-page newspaper headline today.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/will-trump...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/will-trump...
Tomorrow marks a full year since member states of the International Criminal Court announced an external investigation into allegations that the court’s senior prosecutor had sexually assaulted a member of his staff.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/icc-probe-...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/icc-probe-...
ICC probe enters second year
More allegation surface as the court's prosecutor remains on leave of absence
rozenberg.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:03 AM
Tomorrow marks a full year since member states of the International Criminal Court announced an external investigation into allegations that the court’s senior prosecutor had sexually assaulted a member of his staff.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/icc-probe-...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/icc-probe-...
One of the strangest aspects of the recent China spy trial “disappointment” is that prosecutors thought a judgment from the Court of Appeal in a similar case last year had made it harder for them to secure a conviction.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/whos-to-bl...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/whos-to-bl...
Who’s to blame?
Why did China spy trial collapse?
rozenberg.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:15 AM
One of the strangest aspects of the recent China spy trial “disappointment” is that prosecutors thought a judgment from the Court of Appeal in a similar case last year had made it harder for them to secure a conviction.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/whos-to-bl...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/whos-to-bl...
Tagging offenders will not provide an effective alternative to prison unless probation is better funded, according to peers. Meanwhile, police chiefs say reducing the prison population under the sentencing bill will lead to a short-term increase in crime.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/fighting-c...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/fighting-c...
Fighting crime needs funding
Peers say probation needs more money while police predict more crime
rozenberg.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Tagging offenders will not provide an effective alternative to prison unless probation is better funded, according to peers. Meanwhile, police chiefs say reducing the prison population under the sentencing bill will lead to a short-term increase in crime.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/fighting-c...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/fighting-c...
Why was Tommy Robinson prosecuted under the Terrorism Act? Why, indeed, was he even arrested by an accredited counter-terrorism officer in Folkstone as he sought to leave the country in July last year?
rozenberg.substack.com/p/terror-cha...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/terror-cha...
Terror charge dismissed
But why was Tommy Robinson prosecuted in. the first place?
rozenberg.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Why was Tommy Robinson prosecuted under the Terrorism Act? Why, indeed, was he even arrested by an accredited counter-terrorism officer in Folkstone as he sought to leave the country in July last year?
rozenberg.substack.com/p/terror-cha...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/terror-cha...
Reposted by Joshua Rozenberg
“A decision to reject the #ECHR would be tremendously damaging to the #RuleOfLaw both in Europe but also more generally,” the UK judge at the European Court of Human Rights tells @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social👇
🔗 rozenberg.substack.com/p/judging-hu...
#HumanRights #ECHR #OurRightsAndFreedoms #ECHR75
🔗 rozenberg.substack.com/p/judging-hu...
#HumanRights #ECHR #OurRightsAndFreedoms #ECHR75
Judging human rights
The new British member of the human rights court tells me why he wanted the job
rozenberg.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:20 PM
“A decision to reject the #ECHR would be tremendously damaging to the #RuleOfLaw both in Europe but also more generally,” the UK judge at the European Court of Human Rights tells @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social👇
🔗 rozenberg.substack.com/p/judging-hu...
#HumanRights #ECHR #OurRightsAndFreedoms #ECHR75
🔗 rozenberg.substack.com/p/judging-hu...
#HumanRights #ECHR #OurRightsAndFreedoms #ECHR75
Up to 44 million consumers came a little closer to claiming compensation estimated at between £45 and £70 each when the Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that a litigation funder should pay additional costs incurred in the long-running Mastercard claim.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/mastercard...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/mastercard...
Mastercard challenge fails
Funder must now pay additional costs after failing to overturn settlement
rozenberg.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Up to 44 million consumers came a little closer to claiming compensation estimated at between £45 and £70 each when the Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that a litigation funder should pay additional costs incurred in the long-running Mastercard claim.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/mastercard...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/mastercard...
Hugh Mercer KC has sat as the UK judge at the European Court of Human Rights for little more than a month. But two major political parties are seeking to have Judge Mercer kicked off the court. Does he still think applying for the post was a good career move?
rozenberg.substack.com/p/judging-hu...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/judging-hu...
Judging human rights
The new British member of the human rights court tells me why he wanted the job
rozenberg.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Hugh Mercer KC has sat as the UK judge at the European Court of Human Rights for little more than a month. But two major political parties are seeking to have Judge Mercer kicked off the court. Does he still think applying for the post was a good career move?
rozenberg.substack.com/p/judging-hu...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/judging-hu...
Drug use in prisons has become normalised, the House of Commons justice committee says in a report published this morning. MPs call on the government to reintroduce regular testing in order to restore accountability and assess the extent of drug use.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/where-to-f...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/where-to-f...
Where to find drugs
Just get yourself sentenced to prison and they’ll find you
rozenberg.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Drug use in prisons has become normalised, the House of Commons justice committee says in a report published this morning. MPs call on the government to reintroduce regular testing in order to restore accountability and assess the extent of drug use.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/where-to-f...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/where-to-f...
Democracy is under challenge in the west, a former president of the UK Supreme Court told me this week. Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury said people were turning to populist alternatives and, he added, populism tends not to respect the rule of law.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...
Justice for all?
Former top judge says improving the rule of law depends on political will
rozenberg.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Democracy is under challenge in the west, a former president of the UK Supreme Court told me this week. Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury said people were turning to populist alternatives and, he added, populism tends not to respect the rule of law.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...
Democracy is under challenge in the west, a former president of the Supreme Court told me this week. Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury said people were turning to populist alternatives and, he added, populism tends not to respect the rule of law.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...
Justice for all?
Former top judge says improving the rule of law depends on political will
rozenberg.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:10 AM
Democracy is under challenge in the west, a former president of the Supreme Court told me this week. Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury said people were turning to populist alternatives and, he added, populism tends not to respect the rule of law.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/justice-fo...
The senior family judge of England and Wales is to retire next April. Sir Andrew McFarlane, 71, president of the High Court family division since 2018, told the Commons justice committee yesterday that he had given six months’ notice of his plan to stand down.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/family-fav...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/family-fav...
Family favourites
And universal disappointment at the China spy case collapse
rozenberg.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:04 AM
The senior family judge of England and Wales is to retire next April. Sir Andrew McFarlane, 71, president of the High Court family division since 2018, told the Commons justice committee yesterday that he had given six months’ notice of his plan to stand down.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/family-fav...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/family-fav...
“There is a strong public interest in the home secretary being able to pursue her ‘one in, one out’ policy unless or until it is shown to be unlawful,” a High Court judge said at a late-night hearing last week.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/one-in-one...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/one-in-one...
‘One in, one out’ upheld
High Court refuses last-minute injunctions against Shabana Mahmood
rozenberg.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:04 AM
“There is a strong public interest in the home secretary being able to pursue her ‘one in, one out’ policy unless or until it is shown to be unlawful,” a High Court judge said at a late-night hearing last week.
rozenberg.substack.com/p/one-in-one...
rozenberg.substack.com/p/one-in-one...