For All to See: Transparency Order in Goodman v Walker

The Court made a full Transparency Order in the case of Goodman v Walker. 

This represents a significant development in the approach towards transparency and openness in Family Court proceedings in England and Wales. 

In Goodman v Walker, the Judge (HHJ Hess) made clear he would not be willing to open the Family Court to ridicule by anonymising his Judgment when the parties themselves had been putting information into the public domain. The Judge went so far as to name the children who were the subject of the proceedings, which is unusual.

This case serves as a helpful reminder that the Family Court will not be willing to put the cat back in the bag when it comes to media coverage, particularly if either of the parties actively publicise “their case”.

While Goodman v Walker is not a routine case of a Transparency Order, it marks a step toward openness. With this, however, comes the challenge of balancing transparency with privacy which remains a delicate issue. Each case will be determined based on its specific facts with the protection of children and vulnerable parties being the priority.