Family courts will be transformed next month when the media is granted access to this traditionally private enclave of the English justice system. Divorce cases, child protection hearings and domestic abuse injunctions are among the cases that journalists will be able to cover for the first time. The move is highly controversial, with lawyers and children's groups saying it will harm children, deter witnesses and lead to delays.
However, Justice Secretary Jack Straw disagrees. Announcing the changes in December last year, he declared that greater media access would "increase the open-ness of family courts while protecting the privacy of children and vulnerable adults".
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