Research projects
The permission stage of the Judicial Review Procedure
Project Director: Professor Maurice Sunkin in partnership with the Public Law
Project
Researcher: Ms Varda Bondy
Funder: The Nuffield Foundation
Judicial review of the legality of decisions made by public authorities is a
fundamental element of the UK's public law system. In order to obtain
judicial review claimants must first receive the permission of the court, hence
making permission requirements an essential element in determining access to
justice. Over recent years there have been substantial reforms of
the judicial review process including the permission stage and the principal aim
of the proposed research is to assess the effects of these reforms on access to
justice.
In order to investigate these effects, the research will:
- explore the relevant case law
- collect, record and code data on the claims for judicial
review drawn from a sample of 1,000-1,200 cases
- conduct interviews with lawyers, judges, court staff and user groups
Outcomes
The research outcomes will be disseminated in the form of articles and
reports as well as through a seminar including user groups.