The presumption in Guernsey is that justice must be done in
public. Accordingly, unless there is some exceptional factor in any
particular case which means the interests of justice can only be
served by conducting proceedings in private, all civil hearings are
open to the public and the press. It follows that any member of the
public or the press is in principle entitled to ask to inspect
copies of documents lodged at court in the course of the
litigation.
Matters heard in private
The court's power to order cases, or parts of cases, to
proceed in private is an aspect of its inherent jurisdiction and is
not circumscribed by any particular law, rule of procedure or
authority. In a number of categories of case, it is relatively
common for hearings to be conducted in private and for documents to
be protected from public view. Cases involving the interests of
children, certain trusts cases, or matters where the wider public
interest or the proper administration of
