Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection Post by @OpenJusticeCoP.

Featured hearings on Thursday 19 February 2026.

Two hearings at the Royal Courts of Justice

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org

Hoarding and best interests challenges for the Court of Protection By Claire Martin, 16th November 2025 The protected party at the centre of this case (P) is a man who has significant hoarding difficulties. The Local Authority wants him to leave his home – either …

The Local Authority want P to vacate the property voluntarily whilst his property is cleared. Failing that, they want P removed forcibly, using restraint if necessary.

Blog by @doccmartin.bsky.social

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/11/16/h...

Attorneys disagree about a house purchase for their mother: Case management for a final hearing Court of Protection judges are very experienced in dealing with fraught situations and family dispute. The stakes are high when family members disagree about the care or finances of a relative who …

New blog post

Attorneys disagree about a house purchase for their mother
By @jennykitzinger.bsky.social

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/10/12/a...

Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection Post by @OpenJusticeCoP.

After a busy few months, we're having a break from posting listings until Monday 13 October 2025.

On our homepage, you can find links to websites that host case lists. We also have a guide on how to access a hearing.

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org

Authenticity of a “Living Will” None of us would want our loved ones to be placed (like AB’s fiancee) in the position of having to defend the authenticity of our written documents after we’ve lost capacity.  We want to prod…

New blog post

Family does not pursue allegations of fraud & undue influence

Advance Decision confirmed authentic

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/09/20/a...

Today's the day. Come and meet us at 5.30pm and hear about what we do and how we can support you to observe Court of Protection hearings!

#openjustice #NotSecretCourt

Safeguarding Mum: The “vile” judgment and the daughter’s story “Can we stress in your piece that social services need to listen to the families. That’s what I want to get out of this. They need to listen and understand that we have their best interests at hear…

New blog post: "Safeguarding Mum: The “vile” judgment and the daughter’s story"

#NotSecretCourt - especially "not secret" after a committal hearing (finally).

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/09/05/s...

Now with link to judgment, just published today. What did the judge decide? Click on the link at the top of the blog post.

#NotSecretCourt

Statutory wills

If anyone knows of any statutory will hearings coming up in the Court of Protection, please let me know. Some of us would especially like to observe them to understand what can go wrong.

#NotSecretCourt

Ever wanted to observe a hearing in the Court of Protection? Come to our small friendly webinar on how to observe remotely (via video-link) from the comfort of your own home. Hosted by Claire and Amanda. It’s free and open to anyone – email us for more info (openjustice@yahoo.com) Or scan the QR code:

Would you like to observe a remote hearing in the Court of Protection?

Find out how!

In one month - Claire and Amanda are running a free webinar all about it.

Email openjustice@yahoo.com to join in. All welcome.

#NotSecretCourt #OpenJustice

A court hearing and 23 visits from 16 officials: Family doubt that ‘Deprivation of liberty’ is working in the public interest By Sandra and Joe Preston, 7th August 2025 In February 2025, we found ourselves stepping into the Court of Protection for the very first time, as relatives of a Protected Party (P).  We return…

Blog post by family members - what happened to Joe's mother caught up in "futile" s.21A DOLS case? Multiple short-term standard authorisations + for a year “no signs by word or action of objections” to where she is living.

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/08/07/a...

A court hearing and 23 visits from 16 officials: Family doubt that ‘Deprivation of liberty’ is working in the public interest By Sandra and Joe Preston, 7th August 2025 In February 2025, we found ourselves stepping into the Court of Protection for the very first time, as relatives of a Protected Party (P).  We return…

Blog post by family members - what happened to Joe's mother caught up in "futile" s.21A DOLS case? Multiple short-term standard authorisations + for a year “no signs by word or action of objections” to where she is living.

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/08/07/a...

Balancing patient welfare and procedural fairness: Withdrawal of ventilation before Hayden J By Celia Kitzinger, 4th August 2025 The case, COP 20018026, before Mr Justice Hayden on 22nd and 23rd July 2025,  appeared in the Royal Courts of Justice Daily Cause list as concerning “seriou…

Balancing patient welfare and procedural fairness: Withdrawal of ventilation before Hayden J by @kitzingercelia.bsky.social

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/08/04/b...

Silence from HHJ Rowland: A transparency fail By Celia Kitzinger, 29th June 2025 It’s been more than 10 months since I applied to discharge the transparency order in a s.21A case concerning a woman in her 90s who was deprived of her liberty in…

For anyone starting from the perspective that the court is corrupt and determined to hide its proceedings from public scrutiny, this whole experience looks like corroborating evidence.

#OpenJustice #NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/06/29/s...

“Does that mean I am off the hook?”: A successful s21a Deprivation of Liberty Challenge By Claire Martin, 23rd June 2025 I had some unexpected time on Monday 16th June 2025, so I had a look at the listings the night before, and this one caught my eye because it said ‘FINAL HEARING’, s…

Insufficient evidence to rebut presumption of capacity due to failings of expert reports - unhappy judge + vulnerable person at risk.

Two contradictory capacity assessments - with no "workings out" to show why opinion changed.

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/06/23/d...

Open Justice Court of Protection Project is five years old today By the Core Team of the Open Justice COP Project (Celia Kitzinger, Gill Loomes-Quinn, Daniel Clark, Amanda Hill and Claire Martin), 15th June 2025 It was launched – with no funding and no clear pla…

It's our birthday - 5 years old today!

Who are we and what have we achieved in the last five years?

And what's next?

#openjustice #notsecretcourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/06/15/o...

A judge without a bundle adjourns the case By Daniel Clark, 11th June 2025 A bundle is a collection of documents that are relevant to the decision that the court is being asked to make. As Kyle Squire, then a barrister at 5 Pump Court Chamb…

Back in court at 3pm today

Hoping the public bodies (Leicestershire City Council and NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board) have sorted things now.

#OpenJustice #NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/06/11/a...

Validity and applicability of an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment: A pre-trial review By Celia Kitzinger, 14th May 2025 The man at the centre of this case (COP 20006397, before Poole J) is in his 40s.  On 5th May 2024, he suffered a cardiac arrest resulting in a severe hypoxic …

New blog post....

#openjustice #NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/05/14/v...

What is Free Speech? by Fara Dabhoiwala | The Critic Magazine As disputes over free speech in the internet age rage, a pithy genealogy of the subject with a strong argument is both timely and welcome

This looks an interesting book - and it's a scathingly fascinating review of it too! Adding it to my reading list now, given my interests in #OpenJustice and the #NotSecretCourt

thecritic.co.uk/issues/april...

Transparency in twenty days at Cardiff Court of Protection By Kim Dodd, 15th April 2025 I was a Litigant in Person in my dad’s Court of Protection case from February 2024 until his death in August 2024.  He died in the care home it was deemed to be in…

What happens when you try to observe Court of Protection hearings in Cardiff (remotely) for 20 days.... Read all about it.

#openjustice #NotSecretCourt

By @kimdodd.bsky.social
openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/04/15/t...

Bundles and Bundles of Documents “The court bundle is, literally, a bundle of documents. In previous versions of the procedural rules for civil cases (i.e. those outside of the Court of Protection) it was explicitly said to …

Useful bog post on what's in a court "bundle"

Written for non-lawyers to help us navigate documents in court.

#OpenJustice #NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2020/06/26/b...

District Judge Weir thanks a Sheffield City Council social worker for her “enthusiasm and passion” By Daniel Clark, 4th April 2025 The person at the centre of this case, who I’ll refer to as J, is a man in his 30s with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. On several occasions he has been det…

New blog post by @clarkdaniel.bsky.social

DJ Weir thanks a Sheffield City Council social worker for her "enthusiasm and passion"

#OpenJustice #NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/04/04/d...

“I’m making these orders not for my own amusement, but for P”: Judge admonishes professionals over “disappointing” failures I observed the judge’s surprise and exasperation at the lack of progress in HMB’s case as performing a function of delegitimising and ‘calling out’ the situation…. Hearing such disapproval fr…

A powerful blog post from disability-rights activist and scholar @gillloomesquinn.bsky.social considering the role the Court of Protection can play in legitimating disability rights issues.

#OpenJustice #NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/03/25/i...

Dispute about capacity and best interests in a s.21A application By Daniel Clark, 31st January 2025 Mr H has lived in A Care Home since 2022. He is challenging his deprivation of liberty, pursuant to s21a of the Mental Capacity Act 2005[i], but the responde…

This case is back in court at 11.30am on Thursday 20th March 2025. Information about how to observe it (remotely) is on our website.

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/01/31/d...

Hello @HMCTS staff in Brighton

Please remember to include the names of applicant/respondent bodies in your public lists.

Transparency demands it!

#OpenJustice #NotSecretCourt

There's a COP application before HHJ Richardson today from Sophia Hindley, currently in prison for contempt of court, to "purge her contempt", i.e. apologise + secure release.

Does anyone know of previous COP cases like this? (I've found some Family Division cases)

#OpenJustice #NotSecretCourt

Public bodies argue about funding – Poole J feels like “a referee or go-between” By Amanda Hill, with contribution from Tim Sugden, 5th March 2025 The protected person (“MH”) has been diagnosed with dementia and lives in a care home. This case (COP 14214860) began a…

New blog post describes High Court hearing in which the depressing realities of ££££ in social care become glaringly apparent - even in a case involving life-sustaining treatment (by @amandaaphill.bsky.social )

#OpenJustice #notsecretcourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2025/03/05/p...

Elucidating the meaning of deprivation of liberty orders: HHJ Burrows and local authority at cross-purposes on DOLS and care plans By Celia Kitzinger, 10th October 2024 Update: The judgment has now been published (click on the link in the title of the case): Bury Metropolitan Borough Council v EM & Ors [2024] EWCOP 76 (T2)…

**

Now updated with a link to the published judgment.

Recommended reading for everyone interested in (or concerned about) deprivation of liberty.

#NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2024/10/10/e...

Anorexic teenager in 10-day induced coma for re-feeding: What next? Doctors gave her a general anaesthetic, ventilated and sedated her, and fitted her with an NG tube, believing this to be in her best interests. She did not consent to any of this – there was …

A harrowing read about emergency medical treatment that raises questions about anorexia treatments

Now with comments from expert witness Tim Farmer (scroll to the end of the blog post)

#OpenJustice #NotSecretCourt

openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2024/12/14/a...

Take a look at the Featured Hearings on our website if you are looking for a Court of Protection hearing to observe Wednesday 4th December:

openjusticecourtofprotection.org

#NotSecretCourt #openjustice