‘One (Confidentiality) Ring to Rule Them All’: Reflections on Confidential and Sensitive Information and the Open Justice Principle Following the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor Case

Abstract

2. The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor’s high-profile challenge to the ‘VIP lane’ for awarding government contracts for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic raised important ancillary issues regarding the release of confidential and commercially sensitive information into the public domain. The recent decision invites the opportunity to revisit well-established principles governing derogations from open justice to protect sensitive material, and offers fresh commentary on the proper procedure for seeking the release of information from a confidentiality ring.