Court Transcripts

LoLth

Just wondering if anyone can tell me the procedure for requesting court transcripts from the Circuit Criminal court?

Are court transcripts public record?

Is there mandatory time delay before they are released?

can a copy be requested or do you have to wait and download them as they are posted online?

LoLth

mari2222

The High Court/Supreme Court rulings are on courts.ie : not sure if that is any use to you! but some of these may have been on appeal from lower courts.

mari2222

http://www.courts.ie/Judgments.nsf/Webpages/HomePage

LoLth

thanks for the reply. I know about the availability of the "higher" tier rulings (but thanks for the link anyway) , I was owndering though as I have very rarely, if ever, seen any documentation on the circuit court cases apart from what is reported in the newspapers and that is usually restricted to "bob, from X, was convicted of Y today. no one was very suprised except his mammy".

LoLth

LoLth wrote: »

thanks for the reply. I know about the availability of the "higher" tier rulings (but thanks for the link anyway) , I was owndering though as I have very rarely, if ever, seen any documentation on the circuit court cases apart from what is reported in the newspapers and that is usually restricted to "bob, from X, was convicted of Y today. no one was very suprised except his mammy".

Circuit Court rulings essentially have no binding precedent and both the judges and the practitioners tend to look only to High and Supreme Court judgments for guidance.

As a consequence there isn't really an awful lot of value in producing Circuit Court reports.

Reloc8

LoLth wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone can tell me the procedure for requesting court transcripts from the Circuit Criminal court?

There is none. In the event of an appeal or retrial the parties (accused and DPP) receive one.

LoLth wrote: »

Are court transcripts public record?

Nope. Where an acquittal or outcome other than conviction occurs they are not created, i.e. there is just a stenographers shorthand - formerly - and now an audio recording. Where they are created they are furnished to the parties and placed on the Court file.

LoLth wrote: »

Is there mandatory time delay before they are released?

Nope. Some of them seem to enter the public domain by way of reportage usually in books written about given cases etc. I don't know where journalists/authors get them. A party could give one over, or perhaps where one exists they can be released under the 20 year rule.

LoLth wrote: »

can a copy be requested or do you have to wait and download them as they are posted online?

They are not posted on line (the tribunals have done that though sometimes).

You could write to the Circuit Criminal Court office and request a copy - no harm in so doing. I've never heard of anyone actually getting one that way though.

coylemj

There are two types of hearings in the Circuit Criminal Court. ...

1. Appeals from the District Court are essentially a rehearing of the original case, the Judge listens to all the evidence and delivers a verdict. I don't think there is any verbatim record kept of the evidence and legal submissions so all that goes on the record is the verdict.

2. Criminal trials are I believe recorded in shorthand in case there is an appeal but I'm not sure the state goes to the expense of getting these typed up unless there is an appeal.

LoLth

thanks all for the replies. I contacted court services and was told that no, transcripts and judgements for Circuit court are never made public. You have to attend the court to see whats going on, unless a reporter reports it....

seems a bit strange but I suppose its to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

Wolfe Tone

Nothing to do with privacy, justice is dealt out in public.


I say its the practicalities of it tbh.

coylemj

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Nothing to do with privacy, justice is dealt out in public.


I say its the practicalities of it tbh.

Correct, what's the point in going to the (considerable) expense of transcribing every spoken word of every case just in case someone comes looking for it?

If you're convicted in a Circuit Criminal Court trial (by a jury) and lodge an appeal, the shorthand transcript is typed up and both your lawyer and the prosecution will get a full transcript of the trial. That's I believe the only time it happens, it's nothing to do with privacy.