Judiciary will commence live media coverage of High Court proceedings related to the anti-LGBTQ+ bill today.
This initiative follows the precedent set by the Chief Justice, who previously permitted media houses to livestream the hearing of Richard Sky’s injunction application concerning the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
The Judicial Service has now extended this access to all cases associated with the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
This decision came after Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, formally requested the Chief Justice to allow live coverage of the proceedings related to the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Dame cited the considerable public interest in the matter as the primary reason for his request.
“Respectfully, in view of the public interest in the cases concerning the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2024 (the Bill) I would like to recommend that the media (including radio and television) be given full access to the relevant courts to undertake coverage of all proceedings in those cases concerning the Bill,” he wrote.
He added, “It is my respectful view that the transparency to be engendered by a coverage of the proceedings would be in the best interest of the administration of justice.”
The Attorney General specifically highlighted cases in both the Supreme Court and High Court that will address the legality of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Currently, four cases related to the bill have been filed across various levels of the judiciary.
Two cases are set to be heard at the High Court, while the remaining two will be addressed by the Supreme Court.
One of the High Court cases is scheduled for a hearing later today in the General Jurisdiction 8 courtroom.