Article 6 ECHR – Legal Lens

Judicial Guidance Quietly Removes Written Evidence Option for Disabled Litigants

Written by John Barwell 14 January 202614 January 2026

A quiet May 2025 change to the Equal Treatment Bench Book removed a written-only evidence adjustment for mental health disabilities—raising concerns about access to justice as tribunals demand increasingly “objective” medical proof for adjustments and postponements.

Judicial Conduct

UK Judicial Backlogs: Are Delayed Trials a Violation of Human Rights?

Written by John Barwell 4 January 20254 January 2025

The UK justice system faces an unprecedented crisis due to decades of underfunding and judicial inefficiencies, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. With case backlogs in Crown and civil courts leaving victims, defendants, and litigants in limbo, the government risks breaching human rights obligations under Article 6(1) of the ECHR. This article examines the human cost of delays, state accountability, and urgent reforms needed to restore public confidence and uphold justice.