Petitions/Introduce a cooling off period for public access to sensitive court documents
StatusClosed
Opened21 Nov 2025
Closes21 May 2026
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

Set a legal minimum cooling off period for sensitive information used in court, so families impacted by serious crimes aren't retraumatized for media profit shortly after crimes & court cases.

As little as a few months after sentencing, and against the families wishes, media studios can create content based on the case. We believe the rules on access to public court records should protect families from premature exposure. Those responsible for crimes may seek recognition, and we feel the media can give them exactly that. We want to stop this from happening and to protect families in these circumstances.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Tom Hayes
1Tom Hayes MP
Bournemouth East
3
Jessica Toale
2Jessica Toale MP
Bournemouth West
3
Sarah Jones
3Sarah Jones MP
Croydon West
1
Naushabah Khan
4Naushabah Khan MP
Gillingham and Rainham
1
Victoria Collins
5Victoria Collins MP
Harpenden and Berkhamsted
1
Jeremy Corbyn
6Jeremy Corbyn MP
Islington North
1
Rachel Hopkins
7Rachel Hopkins MP
Luton South and South Bedfordshire
1
Jon Trickett
8Jon Trickett MP
Normanton and Hemsworth
1
Sir Nicholas Dakin
9Sir Nicholas Dakin MP
Scunthorpe
1
Mr Gagan Mohindra
10Mr Gagan Mohindra MP
South West Hertfordshire
1
Introduce a cooling off period for public access to sensitive court documents — Petitions