Exit Strategies

A shorter version of this article was published in The Lawyer on 17 June 2008

It can seem difficult to spot general trends in extradition case law and the decision of the House of Lords in partially refusing the extradition request from the US for Mr Norris may provide a useful excuse to attempt this analysis. Mr Norris's extradition was sought for his part in the price fixing engaged in by his former employer Morgan Crucible and his alleged actions in seeking to obstruct a US criminal investigation into this.

Most first instance extradition decisions, which are all reached by designated District Judges sitting at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court, are unreported and only the most sensational receive any publicity. Appeals are heard by the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court and whilst these decisions are now sometimes more easily available on the Internet, they do not receive as wide