The judiciary

• Philosophy

  The Guide to Judicial Conduct: Judicial independence, Impartiality, Integrity, Propriety, Ensuring equal treatment, Competence. As part of appointment process judges take 2 oaths: 1. The oath of allegiance -to the monarch, the heirs and successors. 2. The judicial oath -that they will uphold the codes of conduct, treating everyone equally and fairly.
• Aims and objectives

  Crown court -the judge must manage the trial, ensure fairness, explain legal issues and procedures to the jury, sum up the evidence, and pass the sentence if the defendant is found guilty. The appeal courts -judges make rulings on the appeals from lower courts. This may involve creating precedents.
• Funding

  Judges' salary is based on advice of the Senior Salaries Review Body to the PM and Lord Chancellor. In 2018 the most senior judge - the Lord Chief Justice was paid £257.000 while disctrict judges - £110.000.

  Some senior lawyers can earn more. Experienced barristers in commercial law can earn more than £1m. Lawyers working in the criminal courts generally earn much less than this.
• Working practices

  1. Security of tenure - judges can be removed only by a petition to the monarch passed by both HoC and HoL. This happened only once in 1830.
  2. Their salary is guaranteed. Judges can be divided into superior judges that sit in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court and inferior judges that sit in Crown Courts.
• Types of criminality and offender

  Judges deal with all types of offences apart from summary offences that are usually dealt with by magistrates, or offences that are dealt with by the police (e.g. cautions)
• National and local reach

  Judges in Supreme Court have nationwide reach while judges in inferior courts work with local cases.