Courts are traditionally characterized by a propensity to stay away from the clamor of publicity–an endeavor not altogether alien to the constitutional principle of judicial autonomy. Having said that, the courts remain very much part of the exercise of executive power by the state, and as such cannot be exempted from the general rule of disclosure when it comes to information of public interest. The President of the Constitutional Court himself has more than once publicly urged better disclosure practices. Between July and September 2003, the Eötvös Károly Institute examined county courts and municipal courts based in country seats for speediness and adequacy in allowing public access to information concerning their own operation.
The survey is available on our Hungarian site.
