Libel Act 1792

The Libel Act 1792 (32 Geo. 3. c. 60) (also known as Fox's Act) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. At the urging of the Whig politician Charles James Fox, the Act restored to juries the right to decide what was libel and whether a defendant was guilty, rather than leaving it solely to the judge.

Libel Act 1792^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act to remove Doubts respecting the Functions of Juries in Cases of Libel.
Citation	32 Geo. 3. c. 60
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	15 June 1792
Commencement	31 January 1792[b]
Repealed	England and Wales: 12 January 2010 Scotland: 28 March 2011[c]
Other legislation
Repealed by	England and Wales: Coroners and Justice Act 2009 Scotland: Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
Text of the Libel Act 1792 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The act itself only applied to criminal trials, but the rules it created have come to be applied in civil trials.^{[citation needed]}

Edmund Burke presented a similar bill in 1771. Charles James Fox opposed it and it was not passed.

Subsequent developments

The whole act was repealed by the part 2 of schedule 23 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, with effect from 12 January 2010; this abolished the criminal libel laws.

The whole act was repealed for Scotland by section 203 of, and paragraph 1 of schedule 7 to, the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, with effect from 28 March 2011^[c].

Notes

1. The citation of this act by this short title was authorised by section 1 of, and the first schedule to, the Short Titles Act 1896. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
2. Start of session.
3. The Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 (Commencement No. 8, Transitional and Savings Provisions) Order 2011.