Access to court files: law, reality miles apart

Feature
There’s a growing chorus of complaint that access to key court documents — informations setting out criminal charges, exhibits tendered during trials, youth court dockets — has become increasingly restrictive in Canada, despite a string of Charter rulings demanding greater openness. Court officials are using outdated precedents and flawed legal interpretations to deny access, while understaffed court offices and lack of training compound the problem. Read the The Lawyers Weekly report.