2nd February
This week the Justice Beat focuses on the NHS, surveillance and legal reporting.
1. Doctor Hadiza Bawa-Garba was convicted of manslaughter based partly on evidence from her own self-appraisal. This week, the GMC appealed her 12-month suspension, calling instead for her erasure from the medical register. In a Spartacus moment, thousands and thousands of doctors have said #IamHadiza, citing her as a scapegoat for systemic failures. A CrowdJustice campaign for her to be able to seek independent legal advice has raised more than a quarter of a million pounds and counting. And even Jeremy Hunt weighed in, tweeting that doctors should be able to learn from their mistakes.
2. Meanwhile, the beloved NHS – and Jeremy Hunt – are likewise the subject of another critical case that may dictate its future. Stephen Hawking and four senior academics and doctors been granted permission to pursue a judicial review over plans to create accountable care organisations, reports the BBC. The campaigners argue that the proposals could lead to a US-style privatisation of the health service.
Surveillance
3. In a landmark decision, the Court of Appeal has found that the UK’s previous surveillance laws (the Snooper's Charter, or "Dripa" aka the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act) are inconsistent with EU law. It's a big win for Liberty (and their CrowdJustice backers) and will likely mean the government's current Investigatory Powers Act (IP Act) will have be to amended, writes Wired.
4. Across the pond, the US's surveillance laws are also under scrutiny, after FBI officials sought a court’s approval under the US's "Snooper's" equivalent, to spy on a former campaign adviser to President Trump; now Republicans want to embarrass the FBI by releasing a classified memo they wrote on the subject. Politico reports that the national security community and privacy advocates have long battled against the law, but like many things American, the current debate is playing out on political lines.
Legal reporting
5. In other US news, CNN reports that Trump's 2017 re-election campaign team spent more than $2 of every $10 on legal fees. Yes, you read that right, his re-election campaign – which CNN says is up and running earlier than any of those of his predecessors in modern history.
6. And talking of legal reporting – albeit of a different kind –the inestimable Alex Aldridge, founder and editor of Legal Cheek, talked to CrowdJustice about the future of law, legal-tech and legal content this week.
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This week on CrowdJustice, parents at Avenue primary school challenge academisation, the #JR4NHS group are crowdfunding around the NHS, and you can read more about the Dr Bawa-Garba case too.