Introduction

The decision in Reg v Bow Street Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, Ex parte Pinochet Ugarte (No 2) [1] (the decision of the House of Lords following Lord Hoffman's failure to disclose his connection to Amnesty International) makes clear that even the most highly respected judges can make errors as regards disclosure of matters which might give the appearance of bias. The House of Lords decided that the previous decision should be set aside because a judge was automatically disqualified where he was involved in promoting the same cause as a party to the ...