High Court to go live with ‘blood sport’

afr.com:

The High Court will “go live” from this Friday, when it starts streaming cases in a move that brings it into line with state and federal courts.

The court said yesterday that members of the public would be able to watch the August applications for special leave to appeal to the Full Court via an internet link on its website.

In a special leave hearing, each side is given a maximum of 20 minutes to make their case. A bench of two or three judges then decides whether to grant leave.

New dawn: the High Court will start livestreaming special leave cases each month.  Alex Ellinghausen

The rapid-fire exchanges with counsel have led it to be called the “best blood sport in the law”. It is also the last avenue of appeal for litigants; if a case is not granted special leave, it is the end of the road.

Six appeals from four courts have been listed for hearing on Friday. Some parties are likely to appear remotely from Darwin and Perth.

One appeal involves “AB”, who is claiming to have not been afforded natural justice during an investigation by the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission.

Another case goes to whether the Northern Territory’s Misuse of Drugs Act is inconsistent with the Commonwealth’s Racial Discrimination Act because it imposes higher penalties for supplying cannabis to Indigenous communities.

The court made the announcement via a media release, which said it “continues to consider how to improve public access to its hearings”.

“The court’s decision to take this further step was made having regard to the nature of the special leave process and the format of special leave hearings,” the release said.

“This decision is not intended to set any precedent in relation to other High Court hearings or