I know judges are often accused of eccentricity, but they are not usually known for being shy. So Barbara Wright is something of a one-off.
Appointed as a district judge in May this year, she wasn't known to the Brighton Argus reporter covering a case at Brighton county court.
So, after the hearing, the reporter, Tim Ridgway, politely inquired about Judge Wright's first name.
HoldTheFrontPage reports that he first asked the ushers and was told they didn't know. Then he approached court officials who told him they were not allowed to give out personal details.
Well, we have all come across jobsworths, so Ridgway persevered. He phoned the court later that day to be told the judge did not want to provide her first name.
We have no way of knowing whether the judge was genuinely asked about the matter by her staff or whether they took it upon themselves to conceal this information.
But the upshot was that Ridgway complained by email and later received a reply from the press officer at the Royal Courts of Justice. It confirmed that court staff should provide the names of judges and said "a reminder" would be sent out to court staff about giving our judges' first names.
I note, incidentally, that on the Ministry of Justice website there is a note to editors stating: "Barbara Janet Wright, 58, will be known as District Judge Barbara Wright."
Such niggling official refusals to provide simple, uncontentious information are a daily trial for journalists, whether in court or out of it.
Sources: HoldTheFrontPage/Ministry of Justice
