Supreme Court joins Instagram ahead of first ever Scotland sitting
New social media stream 'will serve as a window into the life of the court beyond the courtroom'
The UK Supreme Court has launched its own Instagram account ahead of the court's sitting in Edinburgh's City Chambers this week '“ the first ever outside its London home.
The photo-sharing social media app, which has around 400 million active daily users, including a host of A-list celebrities, is documenting the justices' visit north of the border as a panel of five hear three appeals involving sham marriages, national planning policy, and the rehabilitation of determinate sentence prisoners.
The Supreme Court's latest venture into social media will be used to show aspects of the court's work outside the courtroom, such as educational visits, exhibitions, and special events.
The court already provides updates on Twitter and video summaries of every judgment on YouTube, while live streams of its cases are broadcast for free from the Supreme Court website.
Mark Ormerod, the court's chief executive, said: 'The channel will serve as a window into the life of the Supreme Court beyond the courtroom. Rather than focusing on the cases heard here, it will showcase the work we do with schools and universities from around the world, and our role as a popular visitor attraction in Parliament Square.'
Commenting on the first of several sittings outside of London, the court's president, Lord Neuberger, said: 'We make every effort to ensure our proceedings are accessible throughout the UK via our free live-streaming service. However, nothing beats being able to observe courts at first hand.
'We look forward to welcoming members of the public, as well as lawyers, during what is intended to be the first of a number of visits to the capital cities of the devolved nations.'
So, what will Lord Clarke's preferred filter be: clarendon, juno, or gingham? Will there be a 'Boomerang' shot of Lord Sumption bounding into a city chambers near you? Will Lady Hale be a fan of 'Hyperlapse'? Will Lord Hodge become a fan of Instagram's 'story' feature?
And, of course, will a Supreme Court pic get anywhere near the world record 'likes' of Beyonce's pregnancy photo, which currently has 11 million?
Whatever happens, be sure to keep an eye out for Instagram's latest celebrities at @uksupremecourt and www.instagram.com/uksupremecourt.